ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


MARY     A.     BICKERDYKE. 


THE   WOMAN  WHO  BATTLED  FOR  THE 
BOYS  IN  BLUE. 


OTHER 


\  IICKERDYKE 


HER  LIFE  AND  LABORS  FOR  THE  RELIEF  OF  OUR 

SOLDIERS.    SKETCHES  OF  BATTLE  SCENES 

AND  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  SANI 

TARY  SERVICE. 


WRITTEN    BY 


MARGARET    B.    DAVIS. 


\A< 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  M.  A.  BICKER  DYKE. 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL.: 

PklNTKD    AND    SOLD     BY     A.    T.    DEWEY. 

Office  of  the  Fraternal  Record. 

1886. 


Entered,    according  to    Act  of   Congress,    in  the    Year   1886,  by 

t^H.    Cl.    ol?:cf?etbi|fW  cmb   tllfii^  'C\  'IVtuev}, 
/;/  the  office   of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


/317H? 


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QC 


(so  THE  SOLDIERS 


l^epuoli 


BY  THEIR  COURAGE  AND  PATRIOTISM, 

Through  Toil,  Sickness,  Wounds  and  Death, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED. 


»V^  "» 


3K. 


274527 


ISTORY  has  usually  been  written  in  the 
glare  of  battle-fields,  to  extol  the  name  of 
kings  and  heroes,  while  the  little  rills  from 
the  heart  that  flowed  into  the  abodes  of 
want  and  wretchedness,  stanching  bleeding 
wounds  and  drying  the  falling  tear,  have 
been  too  often  overlooked.  The  world  is 
not  rich  enough  to  neglect  the  touching 
story  of  Florence  Nightingale  in  the  Crimea,  or  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  Florence  Nightingales  whose  sweet  and  tender 
ministries  softened  the  grim  features  of  the  civil  war.  And 
no  one  of  that  host  of  tender-hearted  women  who  went  out 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Sanitary  or  Christian  Commission 
rendered  more  valuable  service  in  the  hospitals  than  Mary 
A.  Bickerdyke.  Such  is  the  united  testimony  of  those 
great  soldiers,  Grant,  Sherman,  Logan,  Pope,  and  Miller, 
all  of  whom. knew  her  well.  But  she  needs  no  testimonials, 
for  her  name  and  noble  deeds  are  still  fragrant  in  the  mem- 
ory of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Western  armies. 


x  PREFATORY. 

But  memory  is  frail,  the  present  generation  will  soon  pass 
away,  while  the  heroic  deeds  of  this  remarkable  woman  are 
too  precious  to  go  out  in  oblivion.  It  has  been  a  work 
of  pleasure  and  gratification  on  the  part  of  the  publisher  to 
secure  the  facts  and  thrilling  incidents  of  this  noble  life, 
and  crystallize  them  into  a  permanent  shape  for  the  example 
and  inspiration  of  future  generations. 

This  book  has  been  prepared  and  published  specially  for 
her  benefit.  For  years  her  heroic  labors  received  no 
recognition  from  a  Government  that  has  been  liberal  in  re- 
warding its  soldiers.  This  may  have  been  partly  owing  to 
that  shrinking  diffidence  that  careJ  not  to  have  its  merits 
measured  in  dollars  and  cents.  True  worth  is  ever  modest 
and  retiring.  It  is  a  flower  that  loves  the  shade.  Still,  the 
laborer  is  worthy  of  his  reward,  and  some  friends  a  short 
time  ago  secured  for  her  a  pension  from  the  Government,  a 
mere  pittance,  wholly  insufficient  to  furnish  a  reasonable 
support,  now  that  the  infirmities  of  age  have  made  her  un- 
able longer  to  care  for  herself.  Surely  the  soldiers  she 
loved  so  well,  the  ladies  of  the  Relief  Corps,  and  a 
patriotic  public,  will  not  forget  her  now.  Every  one  who 
buys  this  little  volume  will  not  only  have  a  souvenir  of  a 
noble  woman,  but  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  they  have 
helped  to  brighten  the  few  remaining  years  of  one  who  gave 
her  best  energies  in  relieving  the  sick,  consoling  the  dying, 
and  transmitting  to  the  homes  of  the  living  the  last  words 
of  their  brave  dead. 


CHAPTER    I. 

IVTRs.  BICKERDYKE'S  CHARACTER — HER  HOME  NEAR  THE  MIS- 
SION DOLORES,  AND  HER  APPEARANCE — LIFTING  THE  VEIL — 
THE  TALE  THAT  CHARMS— WIFELY  DUTIES— MARCHING 
AWAY — WOMANSS'  I  'ATRIOTISM 13-33 

CHAPTER    II, 

GALESBURG,  ILLINOIS — THE  NATIONAL  HYMN — OFF  TO  THE  WAR 
WITH  PRECIOUS  FREIGHT — SOLDIERS  AT  CAIRO — BELMONT — 
BIVOUAC  FIRES  NEAR  FORT  HENRY — MRS.  BICKERDYKE'S 
HEROISM  AT  FORT  DONELSON — WASHING  AT  SAVANNAH — 
EIGHTY  WAR  STEAMERS  MOVING  UP  THE  TENNESSEE — BATTLE 
OF  SHILOH — AGENT  IN  THE  MILITARY  FIELD 34~54 

CHAPTER   III. 

THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  HOSPITALS  AND  THE  SOLDIERS'  MOTHER — 
FARMINGTON — THE  FIELD  OF  IUKA— CORINTH — WASHING  IN 
THE  WOODS — THE  BOARD  OF  TRADE  REGIMENT — A  WELCOME 
ORDER— INTERIOR  OF  A  HOSPITAL  TENT — THE  HOMES  OF 
MOURNING — GIFTS  FOR  THE  SOLDIERS — WINTER  SCENES. 
55-76 

CHAPTER    IV. 

MEMPHIS — IMMENSE  LAUNDRIES — "THE  BOYS  WHO  FOLLOW  THE 
FLAG" — FRIGHTFUL  SUFFERINGS  AT  FORT  PICKERING — THE 
GAYOSO  BLOCK  HOSPITAL — OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS — THE 
"  Cow  AND  HEN  MISSION"— A  SOLDIER'S  WEDDING — VICKS. 
BURG — HOSPITAL  TENTS — LITTLE  TREASURES — THE  FALL  OF 
VICKSRURG — AN  AMUSING  INCIDENT — PREPARING  FOR  THE 
AUTUMN  CAMPAIGN 77~99 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

CHATTANOOGA — "LOG-HEAPS" — "THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CLOUDS" 
— A  TEMPESTUOUS  NIGHT— FUNERALS  AT  CHRISTMAS-TIDE — 
HUNTSVILLE — A  TRIP  TO  THE  NORTH  — ON  TO  ATLANTA — AT 
RINGOLD — THE  FIELD  HOSPITAL  AT  RESACA — KINGSTON — 
WAR  IN  THE  WOODS — NEW  HOPE — IN  AMBUSH — THE  PORTA- 
BLE OVEN — TRYING  THE  DOUGH — WOMAN'S  INFLUENCE. 
100-123 

CHAPTER    VI. 

ALLATOONA  PASS  AND  KENESAW  MOUNTAIN — MARIETTA — "THE 
TWINS,"  OR  "THE  BABIES" — Ev  R  ALERT — "THE  GATE  CITY 
OK  THE  SOUTH" — THE  BATTLE  OF  ATLANTA — SANITARY  FAIRS — 
MRS.  P.ICKERDYKE'S  INFLUENCE — THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA — 
WILMINGTON — PRISONERS  FROM  FLORENCE  AND  ANDERSON- 
VILLE — THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  THE  CAROLINAS — "BUMMERS"— 
KILPATRICK'S  CAVALRYMEN — BEAUFORT — THE  Cows  REVIEW 
— ON  BOARD  THE  RIVER  QUEEN 124-147 

CHAPTER    VII. 

LEE'S  SURRENDER — MOURNING  FOR  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN— MOTHER 
BlCKERDYKE  UPON  HER  HORSE — THE  LONG  BRIDGE — A  SUPERB 
PAGEANT — THE  GRAND  REVIEW  OF  GENERAL  SHERMAN'S 
ARMY — THE  CALICO  DRESS  AND  SUN  BONNET — THROUGH  THE 
GOLDEN  DAYS  OF  JUNE — IN  THE  SOUTH  AND  WEST — DIS- 
CHARGED— SOLDIERS  AT  CHICAGO — ASSISTANCE  IN  PROCURING 
PENSIONS — AT  TOPEKA  -THE  PRESIDIO — OUR  HONORED  I  >I.AI> 
— THE  SOLDIERS'  MOTHER 148-166 


BICKERDYKE'S  CHARACTER — HER  HOME  NEAR  THE  MIS- 
SION DOLORES  AND  HER  APPEARANCE — LIFTING  THE  VEIL — 
THE  TALE  THAT  CHARMS — WIFELY  DUTIES — MARCHING 
AWAY — WOMAN'S  PATRIOTISM. 


RS.  MARY  A.  BICKERDYKE  is 
noted  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  our  country  for  her  success  as  a 
soldiers'  nurse  in  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion. Her  motherly  kindness  to  her 
charges  made  her  name  among  them 
synonymous  with  all  that  is  tender  and 
grand  in  motherhood;  and  for  this  rea- 
son .she  became  widely  known  as  Mother  Bickerdyke. 
The  appellation  suits  her  well.  She  bears  it  as  a  gen- 
eral does  his  title;  and  her  individuality  gives  to  it  a 
refinement  which  those  who  are  not  acquainted  with 
her  may  fail  to  understand. 

Mars,  that  crimson  torch  of  the  war  god,  which  fol- 
IOAVS  the  track  of  the  sun,  must  have  burned  over  her 


lows 


14  MOTHER  BICKEKDVKE. 

birthplace  when  she  came  to  earth,  if  there  is  any 
truth  in  the  astrologer's  erudition;  for  she  is  one  who 
might  have  faced  dangers,  such  as  she  has  braved, 
with  the  purpose  of  destroying,  and  made  as  many 
wounds  as  she  has  soothed,  if  Providence  had  not  set 
beneath  her  breastplate  that  matchless  jewel,  a  moth- 
er's heart.  This  places  in  her  hand  a  vial  of  balm  in- 
stead of  a  sword,  and  causes  her  to  look  upon  the 
soldier  with  the  eyes  of  a  mother  instead  of  those  of 
an  enemy.  Therefore  in  every  bosom  where  senti- 
ments of  patriotism  and  of  fraternal  love  are  cherished, 
the  name  of  "Mother  Bickerdyke"  awakens  feelings  of 
friendship.  Her  life  is  marked  by  events  of  thrilling 
interest,  and  characterized  by  practical  work  strangely 
mingled  with  romantic  incidents. 

In  that  part  of  San  Francisco  called  the  Mission 
"  Mother  Bickerdyke "  now  makes  her  home.  She 
was  invited  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  as  so  many  others 
have  been,  by  the  balmy  climate,  and  by  the  fortune 
which  seems  to  those  of  every  other  land  beckon- 
ing to  them  with  smiles.  From  the  scene  of  her 
youth  and  labors,  and  from  the  homes  of  her  chil- 
dren, she  came  to  begin  a  new  work  alone,  her 
only  aids  being  great  courage,  and  the  title  by  which 
she  is  distinguished  in  relation  to  the  many  brave 
men  who  fought  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Still, 
this  title,  which  might  become,  if  possessed  by  one  d  f- 
ferently  constituted,  the  "  open  sesame  "  to  all  that  is 
desirable  in  wealth  or  fame,  is,  in  her  hands,  only 
the  wine  and  oil  of  the  good  Samaritan  flowing  for 
her  soldier  boys. 


HiiR  HOME.  15 

In  all  the  changeful  scenes  which  her  special  per- 
sonal qualities  predestined  her  to  pass  through,  she 
has  found  none  more  fair  and  peaceful  than  those 
which  surround  her  in  the  present.  Her  home  is  in 
the  upper  part  of  a  house,  from  the  windows  of  which 
may  be  seen  the  waving  outlines  of  the  Potrero  hills, 
a  gleam  of  the  bay  to  the  eastward,  and,  all  about, 
the  numberless  dwellings  that  help  to  form  the  city. 
The  sound  of  the  ancient  Mission  Church  bells  may 
often  be  heard"  in  her  quiet,  orderly  chambers.  At 
morning  and.  evening  they  ring  as  of  yore,  when 
the  Mission  fathers  first  heard  them,  over  one  hun- 
dred years  ago.  This  church  is  only  a  few  blocks 
away,  and  now  those  priests  are  sleeping  beneath  the 
myrtles  and  mossy  stones,  in  the  little  cemetery  that 
half  encircles  its  adobe  walls,  which  are  seame  :  with 
age.  Here  the  streets  are  rather  quiet,  and  neither 
ostentatious  wealth  nor  squalid  poverty  appear  to 
disturb  the  current  of  humanity.  The  world  of  toil 
and  trade,  and  the  stirring  elements  that  excite  war, 
seem  shut  away  from  this  sunny,  sheltered  spot.  It 
is  favored  with  monuments  of  the  past  which  speak, 
to  an  imaginative  mind,  of  earlier  scenes  that  were 
looked  upon  by  the  first  of  our  own  race,  who  made 
their  homes  in  this  new  land.  The  flocks  and  herds 
of  the  Mission  Dolores  grazed  upon  these  grassy 
slopes,  over  which  the  soft  blue  of  heaven  seems 
bending  low  and  tenderly.  Here  and  there  remains 
some  crumbling  habitation  in  which  the  Indian  con- 
verts were  sheltered  long  before  the  discovery  of  gold. 
They  built  those  abodes  with  their  own  dark  hands; 


16  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

while  the  priests  directed  them  with  the  patience  and 
sternness  their  barbarous,  yet  submissive,  minds  de- 
manded. How  full  of  wonder  must  have  been  the 
children  of  the  woods,  to  see  the  new  church  in  the 
freshness  of  its  gilded  shrines  and  bright  paintings, 
so  surprising  and  delightful  to  their  savage  fondness 
for  color!  The  ceremonies  of  dedicating  the  tem- 
ple to  its  patron,  St.  Francis,  whom  they  were  taught 
to  call  San  Francisco  in  the  sweet  Spanish  tongue, 
and  the  inscription  upon  the  arch  encircling  the 
altar,  must  have  been  almost  incomprehensible  to 
them.  The  Mission  fathers  seemed  to  have  thought 
that  they  could  understand  fear  more  readily  than 
love.  The  words  selected  for  their  eyes,  whenever 
they  shjuld  come  to  worship,  were,  "  How  terrible  is 
this  place!  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God, 
and  the  gate  of  Heaven." 

These  primitive  scenes  have  passed  away  entirely, 
and  the  new  people,  who  claim  the  soil,  have  appro- 
priated the  Mission  Dolores  and  its  lands  to  their  own 
purposes.  Still  its  associations  appear  to  forbid  any 
but  those  who  desire  peaceful  homes  and  quiet  pur- 
suits, from  coming  to  mar  the  pleasant  picture. 
Among  the  modern  dwellings  stands  the  old  church, 
with  its  stout,  white  pillars  in  front,  and  its  long,  nar- 
row roof  of  tiles  swaying  with  the  weight  of  years. 
The  wise  Mission  fathers  selected  this  locality  because 
it  is  particularly  favored  by  nature  Flowers  bloom 
in  the  garden  plots  perpetually,  and  the  fogs,  that  so 
often  rise  from  the  ocean,  are  kept  out  by  the  hills  that 
also  shelter  this  place  from  the  winds.  Time  seems 


PATRIOTIC  MOTHERHOOD.  17 

trying  to  cheat  mortals  into  the  belief  that  the  sands 
in  his  glass  have  ceased  running;  and  insidiously  in- 
vites age  to  an  appropriate  season  of  repose  before 
the  twilight  hours  of  life  have  lost  the  glow  of  its 
sunbeams. 

But "  Mother  Bickerdyke"  heeds  no  such  allurements. 
For  years  she  has  been  seen  frequently  in  the  nar- 
row doorway  of  her  home,  with  bonnet  and  wrap 
donned  ready  to  proceed  into  the  realms  of  business. 
Without  fear  or  special  company,  she  travels,  in 
safety,  journeys  which  extend  from  a  trip  across  the 
bay,  to  a  tour  across  the  continent.  Few  who  look 
upon  the  self-possessed  and  sensible  lady,  with  her 
gray  hair  and  plain  attire,  would  perceive  the  lumi- 
nous halo  shed  upon  her  from  the  diadem  of  mother- 
hood gemmed  with  the  stars  of  patriotism;  and 
which  incloses  within  its  shining  circle  every  soldier 
of  the  late  war  as  the  son  of  her  adoption.  But 
when  seen  through  the  glass  of  her  history,  she  is 
transformed  as  if  by  the  magic  wand  of  the  fairy 
godmother  that  rendered  such  a  wonderful  change  in 
Cinderella.  Her  vestments  are  white  with  purity, 
and  brightened  with  the  rose  color  of  romance.  They 
are  richly  fringed  with  the  pearls  of  maternal  love 
and  duty.  Her  voice  is  sweet  with  the  music  of 
hope,  and  her  words  are  expressions  of  cheer.  Her 
glance  is  that  of  the  lioness  guarding  her  young,  and 
wisdom  reposes  upon  her  brow.  To  her  sons  she  is 
a  mother  tender  to  nurse  them,  strong  to  help  them, 
and  as  constant  to  them  in  peace  as  in  war. 

The  work  which  benefits  mankind,  and  the  strength 
2 


18  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

and  will  which  enable  one  to  perform  it,  impress 
like  an  iron  mould  the  form  and  character;  while  the 
bloom  an  I  freshness  of  youth  are  worn  away  by 
years  of  toil;  so  the  heroes  of  the  world  are  usually 
pictured  with  lines  of  care  and  endurance  upon  their 
faces,  and  with  whitened  locks  beneath  the  laurels  of 
their  glory.  After  the  work  of  a  life-time  has  been 
performed,  comes  the  opinion  of  the  world;  expressed 
with  much  ceremony  if  the  subject  is  prominent,  and 
in  only  a  passing  remark  or  sigh  of  pity,  if  obscure. 

Notwithstanding  her  years,  she  is  lively  and  ener- 
getic. Her  figure  is  erect  and  portly,  and  is  formed 
for  action  and  endurance.  Back  from  a  broad,  well- 
moulded  brow,  her  gray  hair  is  smoothly  brushed, 
and  then  twisted,  a  little  carelessly,  into  an  old  fash- 
ioned coil  at  the  back  of  her  head.  Her  eyes  are  of 
a  dark  blue  color,  and  look  straight  at  those  with 
whom  she  speaks;  the  nose  is  slightly  aquiline;  the 
mouth  medium  and  expressive  of  firmness;  and  the 
well-defined  outline  of  the  lower  part  of  her  face 
irregular  and  characteristic  of  power.  The  artist 
has  done  well  with  her  picture,  the  "frontispiece.  Still 
the  ease  and  cordiality  of  her  manners,  the  hearti- 
ness and  energy  of  her  words,  and  the  mobile  ex- 
pression of  her  face,  are  much  more  indicative  of  her 
character  than  are  her  form  and  features,  and  those 
can  scarcely  be  portrayed  with  the  pencil. 

She  is  impulsive  and  full  of  fire  and  feeling;  a 
woman  designed  to  do  something  of  note  in  the 
world,  if  circumstances  offer  an  opportunity.  All 
this  physical  strength  and  activity  of  mind  could  not 


THE  GUIDING  POWER.  19 

help  but  work  with  energy  in  any  path  of  life,  and 
the  one  selected,  if  individual  choice  were  permitted, 
would  naturally  be  such  as  to  interest  the  sympathies. 
At  the  start,  a  character  like  this  may  be  compared 
to  a  fine  ship,  built  to  brave  the  ocean  currents  and 
storms,  and  worthy  to  be  trusted  with  lives  and  treas- 
ures. She  may  sail  to  well-known  harbors  of  com- 
m  rcc,  or  to  the  dangerous  polar  seas;  and  her  course 
will  be  as  the  hand  at  the  helm  directs.  This  guid- 
ing power  decides  the  world-wide  difference  in  the 
courses  that  lie  before  her.  Neither  pleasure,  wealth, 
nor  fame  awakened  Mother  Bickerdyke's  aspirations. 
Mother!  That  is  the  word  which  describes  the  guid- 
ing power  in  this  strong,  active  woman.  Motherhood, 
the  crown  of  feminine  perfection,  she  did  not  wear  as 
did  the  beautiful  Madonna,  bearing  in  her  arms  the 
infant  with  a  spike  of  lilies  in  his  hand.  The  divine 
woman,  with  her  angelic  grace  and  loveliness,  seems 
akin  to  the  invisible  spirits  of  Heaven.  This  heroine 
is  of  a  different  mould;  one  in  perfect  contrast  to 
the  saintly  picture,  although  she  possesses  the  true 
instincts  of  maternity  in  such  perfection  that  it  sug- 
gests the  similes  while  pointing  out  the  difference  be- 
tween them.  She  is  of  later  c  nturics,  and  of  an- 
other nation  and  land.  American  women,  and  espe- 
cially those  of  that  part  called  the  Northwest,  are 
nobly  represented  in  her,  because  she  typifies  the 
greater  number  of  the  characteristics  that  distinguish 
them.  But  one  grace  of  womanhood  is  all  her  own, 
and  shines  with  a  luster  unborrowed  from  her  sisters, 
because  few  have  proved  the  possession  of  it  in  as 


20  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

marked  perfection,  and  none  have  excelled  her.  This 
is  the  remarkable  depth  and  strength  of  her  maternal 
feelings. 

She  is  a  Spartan-like  mother,  possessed  of  a  heart 
not  only  ample  enough  for  the  children  who  came  to 
bless  her  own  home;  but  when  her  compassion  was 
awakened  in  behalf  of  the  wounded  soldiers  who 
were  suffering  for  their  common  country,  she  found 
room  for  them  all  in  an  ideal  sense,  and  called  them, 
in  her  whole-souled  way,  "Our  boys"  and  "My  boys." 

The  grand  character  here  faintly  drawn  exists 
among  us,  and  prese  ts  to  our  eyes  the  form  of  an 
old  lady  in  her  cozy  home  at  the  Mission.  She  is 
like  a  great  time-worn  ship  that  has  weathered  a 
thousand  gales,  and,  having  carried  in  safety  her 
priceless  freight  of  life  and  fortune,  is  now  anchored 
in  the  smooth  waters  of  the  bay.  Yet  even  such  a 
similitude  as  this  is  inadequate  to  express  a  perfect 
comparison;  for  the  peaceful  tides  of  the  sheltered 
haven  find  her  not  entirely  at  iest.  Though  nearly 
seventy  years  have  passed  over  her  head,  and  many  of 
them  have  been  marked  by  the  crudest  sufferings 
and  losses,  she  appears  ten  years  younger  than  most 
women  of  her  age;  and  devotes  the  time  which 
should  be  a  season  of  perfect  enjoyment  and  repose, 
to  the  interests  of  the  men  who  have  been  wounded 
and  maimed  for  the  sake  of  our  country,  and  yet 
have  not  received  their  full  and  deserved  reward. 

Mother  Bickerdyke,  though  having  done  her  part 
so  well,  still  pursues  her  chosen  work  with  a  spirit  of 
independence  and  unswerving  steadfastness  of  pu'r- 


CURIOSITY.  21 

pose  that  courts  no  attention  or  praise,  though  she 
richly  deserves  both.  In  a  woman's  life,  it  is  her 
public  work,  and  not  her  private  character,  that 
should  excite  the  general  interest.  Though  Ameri- 
can women  share,  in  a  marked  degree,  the  heritage 
of  freedom  which  is  the  common  birthright  of  every 
citizen  of  our  land,  modesty  generally  keeps  their 
personality  within  the  limits  of  the  social  and  home 
circles,  however  successful  may  be  their  labors  in  be- 
half of  mankind.  Still  general  curiosity  demands 
some  recognition  as  a  right,  which  even  Vesta  may 
not  deny;  and,  considering  all  things,  it  is  better  to 
grant  this  privilege,  since  the  mere  description  of  a 
public  career  often  leads  to  erroneous  conclusions  on 
the  part  of  the  reader. 

For  instance,  the  sketch  of  Mother  Bickerdyke, 
contained  in  the  book  entitled,  "  Women  of  the 
War,"  although  accurate  and  well  written,  in  so  far 
as  its  purposes  go,  conveys  the  idea  that  she  is  a 
stern,  business-like  woman,  actuated  by  an  uncom- 
monly philanthropic  turn  of  mind.  But  this  falls  far 
short  of  the  reality.  Curiosity  could  never  be  content 
until  it  had  lifted  the  veil  from  the  Turkish  beauty's 
face,  and  scanned  her  features.  This  is  what  it  de- 
termines to  do  with  all  prominent  women,  whether 
they  consent  or  not.  If  the  figure  unveiled  chances  to 
be  admirable,  it  is  praised  accordingly;  and  yet  it  is  as 
intensely  interesting  if  it  affords  only  materials  for 
criticism.  However  noble  and  helpful  the  work  may 
have  been  matters  not;  if  the  author  of  it  is  such  as 
to  awaken  adverse  criticisms,  they  are  meted  out  to 


22  MOTHER  BICKKRDYKE. 

her  without  stint  or  mercy.  This  is  scarcely  just.  It 
is  like  pouring  nectar  from  a  flagon,  and,  after  sipping 
the  delicious  draught,  condemning  the  design  and 
material  of  the  vessel  from  which  it  flowed. 

To  present  Mother  Bickerdyke's  work  and  charac- 
ter as  it  is  in  reality,  is  a  difficult  task,  though  one 
that  is  pleasing,  on  account  of  its  association  with  so 
much  that  is  noble  and  praiseworthy  in  human 
nature.  Many  barriers  wall  in  the  simple  truth,  which 
it  r  quires  time  and  effort  to  overcome ;  and  as  truth 
in  its  pristine  beauty  is  far  more  engaging  than  when 
embellished  by  the  romancer's  art,  so  wisdom  coun- 
sels no  borrowing  of  his  gilded  pen.  But  the  chief 
difficulty  lies  in  the  different  state  of  feeling  and  of 
public  affairs  now,  from  what  existed  when  Mother 
Bickerdyke  won  her  distinction.  Nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century  has  passed  since  the  excitement  of  war 
shook  the  whole  country.  Willows  have  grown  tall, 
above  the  graves  that  were  hollowed  out  to  receive 
the  soldiers  who  then  fell.  The  agony  of  parting 
and  suspense,  the  terrors  of  battle,  the  rejoicings  of 
victory,  and  the  lamentations  for  the  dead,  are  all 
softened  and  beautified  by  the  lapse  of  time. 

Even  the  phase  of  army  life  that  must  be  pre- 
sented is  one  that  may  be  unrecognized  by  soldiers 
themselves,  who  have  served  only  in  times  of  peace. 
The  tale  that  fascinates  in  a  prosperous  home,  is  not 
of  prostrate  men  with  ghastly  faces,  who  bleed  from 
undressed  wounds;  nor  yet  of  dreary  hospital  wards, 
where  the  stillness  is  broken  by  groans,  and  mes- 
sages from  the  dying.  Ambition  and  admiration  de- 


HER  BIRTHPLACE. 

light  to  follow  the  victorious  warriors  with  then 
glistening  bayonets  and  gorgeous  flags,  conquering 
amid  the  smoke  and  flame  and  thunder  of  the  battle. 
When  they  march  to  yet  prouder  fields,  then  it  is 
woman's  province  to  weep  over  the  slain  and  minister 
to  the  dying.  To  follow  the  mother  there  must  strike 
a  different  chord  of  feeling,  and  one  that  is  harrowing 
and  sad,  as  well  as  tender  and  melting  in  its  har- 
mony. 

Mother  Bickerdyke  was  the  daughter  of  Hiram 
Ball.  She  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  near  the 
present  city  of  Mt.  Vernon,  July  19,  1817,  which  was 
fifteen  years  after  the  admission  of  that  State  into  the 
Union,  and  when  those  magnificent  fields,  that  now 
flourish  in  annual  luxuriance  of  grain,  and  support 
numberless  homes  in  the  lap  of  ease  and  peace,  were 
still  interspersed  with  wild  prairies,  over  which  the 
bison  roamed,  and  where  savage  tribes  pursued  their 
wars.  The  strongest  and  most  adventurous  people 
of  the  country  were  among  the  settlers  in  this  terri- 
tory; and  there  their  hardihood  was  exercised  until  it 
became  a  distinguishing  trait  of  character.  A  daughter 
of  these  dauntless  people,  and  inheriting  from  them  in 
a  marked  degree  their  strength  and  energy,  Mother 
Bickerdyke  was  by  nature  fitted  for  the  scenes  in 
which  she  became  noted.  A  woman  of  less  robust 
constitution,  or  less  courageous,  though  endowed  with 
a  spirit  of  patriotism  as  lofty,  and  with  sympathies 
as  deep  and  strong,  could  never  have  rendered  serv- 
ices so  timely  and  efficient. 

Looking  backward  over  the  fifty  years  that  inter- 


24  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

vene  between  the  days  of  her  youth  and  the  present, 
it  may  be  well  to  consider  her  as  a  young  girl.  There 
is  profit  and  pleasure  in  studying  the  stages  through 
which  such  human  blossoms  are  wrought  upon  by 
different  influences,  until  they  are  changed  into  the 
fadeless  amaranth.  She  was  a  maiden  of  the  Hcbc 
type,  all  freshness  and  bloom,  who  loved  the  open 
air  and  sunshine  that  made  her  color  warm  and  rich, 
as  though  she  was  always  seen  in  the  rosy  beams  of 
morning.  Her  figure  was  marked  by  rounded  lines 
that  were  smooth  and  firm;  and  her  motions  were 
agile  and  free  with  the  grace  that  exuberant  strength 
and  spirits  give.  At  art  and  fashion,  with  their  wiles 
generally  so  bewitching,  she  must  have  laughed,  for 
she  loved  liberty  in  all  things.  Yet,  being  a  woman, 
and  young  and  fair,  she  could  not  have  turned  from 
her  mirror  without  a  glance  of  pride.  Her  glossy 
hair  was  of  a  light  brown  shade;  and  her  fine  blue 
eyes  merry  and  sparkling.  Her  soft  cheek,  rounded 
by  youth  and  health,  melted  with  lovely  outlines  into 
a  neck  that  was  fair  and  strong  as  that  of  a  statue. 

If  she  wove  bright  dreams  of  what  the  future 
might  hold  for  her,  it  was  not  as  other,  girls  imagined 
theirs,  while  they  lived  as  carelessly  as  the  prairie 
flowers  at  their  feet.  Her  very  thoughts  took  the 
form  of  actions,  and  her  dreams  for  the  future  found 
expression  in  present  deeds  that  tended  to  make 
them  real.  Her  taste  found  gratification  in  prac- 
tical things,  rather  than  in  the  ideal.  Others  might 
stand  in  rapture,  gazing  on  emerald  seas  of  prairie 
land,  and  wonder  at  their  sublime  expanse  that 


WIFE  AND  MOTHER.  25 

seemed  limitless,  she  preferred  to  make  her  dwelling 
cheerful,  and  her  table  inviting.  Besides  the  restless 
energy  that  made  her  speech  and  action  changeful  as 
the  current  of  a  brook,  her  disposition  to  help  others, 
and  to  share  their  trials,  won  for  her  numberless 
friends 

When  she  consented  to  become  a  wife,  the  success- 
ful suitor  was  indeed  fortunate  He  could  boast  that 
in  all  the  wide  West  there  could  be  found  no  fairer, 
lovelier  bride  than  his.  She  made  their  home  bright 
and  cheerful  with  things  designed  for  comfort  and  use, 
rather  than  for  ornament,  and  saw  more  beauty  in  a 
neat  hearth-stone,that  reflected  aclear,  well-replenished 
blaze,  than  in  decorations  which  appealed  only  to  an 
aesthetic  taste. 

Fairest  of  all  in  this  home  picture,  is  the  young 
mother  so  devoted  to  her  darlings.  They  were  ruddy 
and  strong,  and  filled  the  house  with  sounds  of  child- 
ish glee.  To  such  domestic  cares  was  her  attention 
exclusively  devoted  until  the  little  ones  had  grown 
quite  mature,  and  were  able  to  assist  her  in  per- 
forming household  duties.  Then  she  became  a  treas- 
ure to  her  friends  in  the  neighborhood,  for  she  was 
always  ready  to  offer  efficient  help  in  the  time  of 
need. 

These  years  had  stolen  from  her  face  and  form  some 
of  their  grace  and  beauty,  but  they  had  developed 
her  affections  and  brought  to  her  a  rich  treasure  of 
experience.  Besides  she  had  learned  that  there  was 
much  in  the  world  deserving  of  censure  and  condem- 
nation. Her  strong  feelings  sometimes  rose  like  the 


26  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

winds  of  her  native  prairies,  and  spared  not  the  ob- 
ject that  offended  her  sense  of  honor  or  right.  In 
these  later  years,  changes  came  stealing  over  her  home, 
as  they  come  to  others,  with  their  insidious  and  resist- 
less influences.  Death  had  not  passed  them  by  with- 
out claiming  more  than  one  of  the  dear  home  treas- 
ures. Still  it  was  the  old  home  indeed,  until  the  fun- 
eral prayer  and  hymn  were  breathed  for  the  husband 
and  father. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  strong,  and  keenly  sensible  of  the 
added  duties  pressing  upon  her  in  consequence  of  her 
widowhood',  did  not  give  way  to  overwhelming  grief, 
but  bore  her  loss  with  fortitude,  though  her  tender 
heart  was  pierced  with  sorrow,  as  poignant  as  mortal 
can  experience.  The  youngest  of  her  children  was 
then  but  a  few  years  old,  and  scarcely  out  of  her  arms. 
Love  and  duty  awakened  her  energies  anew  for  the 
sake  of  the  helpless  little  ones,  and  life  was  still  full 
of  its  absorbing  pursuits  which  she  followed  with  her 
customary  directness  and  success.  Through  all  these 
stages  of  her  existence,  which  have  just  been  so  briefly 
outlined,  she  has  appeared  simply  as  the  faithful  wife 
and  mother,  beautified  by  her  peculiar  talents  and 
virtues,  that  are  for  the  most  part  the  endowments  of 
nature.  She  has  done  a  woman's  work  in  the  world, 
and  that  cannot  be  too  highly  appreciated  or  praised, 
though  it  is  only  what  success  demands  of  every  per- 
fect woman's  life.  She  has  fulfilled  the  mission  of 
womanhood,  and  in  a  manner  that  has  won  abundant 
friendship  and  esteem.  Her  strong,  willing  hand  has 
soothed  many  a  feverish  brow,  and  her  hopeful  voice 


THE  FALL  OF  SUMTER.  27 

brightened  the  dark  hour  of  death.  Her  courage  and 
daring  have  cheered  the  "  weary  in  well  doing,"  by 
example;  and  she  has  become  a  pillar  in  the  commu- 
nity to  which  many  eyes  have  learned  to  look  when 
counsel  or  aid  is  needed. 

At  this  period,  the  first  rumors  of  war  began  to 
ring  over  the  land  and  engage  general  attention. 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  being  of  a  positive  and  enthusiastic 
disposition,  felt  a  great  interest  in  the  state  of  her 
country.  Patriotism  burned  high  and  strong  in  her 
bosom,  and  her  lively  words  were  not  spared  to  in- 
spire in  others  such  sentiments  as  animated  her  own. 

The  wintei  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  active 
hostilities  was  full  of  the  crudest  suspense  and  fear. 
It  was  a  season  never  to  be  forgotten,  on  account  of 
anxiety  and  hope  alternately  vibrating,  as  eagle  ey  s 
watched  the  changing  appearance  of  the  war-clouds 
that  were  gathcrin  j  over  the  nation.  As  time  ad- 
vanced, the  threatened  calamity  became  inevitable, 
though  in  every  heart,  where  home  and  country  were 
held  dear,  had  been  cherished  the  hope  that  all  politi- 
cal differences  would  be  settled  in  a  more  amicable 
way  than  by  means  of  a  great  national  conflict. 

Not  until  spring  had  returned  with  her  warm  light 
and  showers,  brightening  the  face  of  nature  with  ver- 
nal blossoms,  did  the  threatening  doom  become  a  cer- 
tainty. On  the  1 2th  of  April,  1861,  Fort  Sumter 
was  surrendered  by  its  brave  commander,  Major  An- 
derson, to  General  Beauregard,  after  a  terrific  bom- 
bardment of  thirty-four  hours'  duration.  Three  days 
later,  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call  for  75.000  vol- 


28  MOTHER  HICKKRDYKE. 

unteers.  State  after  State  was  seceding  from  the 
Union,  and  the  highest  excitement  prevailed,  agitating 
alike  the  inhabitants  of  cities  and  towns,  and  the 
dwellers  in  remote  rural  districts,  who  came  flocking 
from  their  quiet  homes  to  mingle  their  voices  with 
the  sounds  of  war. 

The  youthful,  having  fewer  ties  to  bind  them  to  the 
domestic  fireside,  and  possessing  more  enthusiastic 
and  adventurous  spirits  than  those  of  middle  age, 
formed  the  larger  number  of  the  volunteers.  These 
young  men,  the  flower  and  pride  of  the  country,  had 
not  outgrown  the  guarding  love  of  their  mothers,  that 
had  always  pursued  them,  and  yet  had  awakened  in 
the  fair  bosoms  of  sweethearts  and  wives  those  ten- 
der emotions  natural  to  their  age;  and  which,  though 
in  times  of  peace  are  silken  cords,  the  clarion  notes 
of  war  transform  into  chains  stronger  than  death. 
Twice  70,000  hearts  followed  them  with  love  and 
yearnings  for  their  safe  return,  when  they 

"  Marched  away, 
Looking  so  handsome,  brave,  and  grand." 

From  woman's  standpo'nt,  war  is  invested  with 
horrors  that  are  as  hard  for  her  to  endure  as  are  the 
parts  which  men  take  for  them  to  bear.  Though  she 
is  not  called  to  face  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  strike 
heart-piercing  blows  upon  a  fellow-creature,  she  must 
see  the  husband,  on  whom  she  leans,  as  a  vine  upon 
its  support,  and  the  son,  whom  she  cherishes  with  the 
fathomless  depth  of  a  mother's  love,  march  bravely 
to  perils  that  are  doubly  terrible  to  her.  The  mag- 
nitude of  woman's  patriotism  is  thus  measured  by  the 


MARCHING  AWAY.  29 

greatest  tests  that  it  is  possible  to  imagine.  How 
could  they  let  their  darlings  go,  even  for  their 
country's  sake  ?  How  could  they  consent  to  see  no 
more  the  dear,  familiar  faces,  and  hear  no  more  the 
welcome  footsteps  and  beloved  voices  in  their  homes, 
knowing  all  the  while  that 

Ever  onward  with  the  brave, 

Though  glory's  banners  o'er  them  wave, 

Death  walks  with  viewless  feet, 
That  they  must  wait  and  watch  and  pray 
Alone;  while  trials  every  day 
Around  their  loved  ones  mark  the  way 

Till  victory  is  complete. 

Still  the  sacrifice  was  made  in  thousands  of  homes, 
before  that  awful  strife  was  ended.  The  shadow  that 
had  come  to  them  was  changed  to  a  reality,  and  at 
noonday,  at  twilight,  and  in  the  still  night  hours  sad 
councils  were  held  in  anticipation  of  the  partings 
pressing  upon  them  so  soon.  In  .those  scenes  all 
human  weakness  and  selfish  affection  se  mcd  absorbed 
by  the  lofty  sentiments  of  patriotism.  The  grandeur 
of  the  human  soul  manifested  itself  in  the  men  and 
women  who  sacrificed  every  home  comfort  and  per- 
sonal feeling  in  response  to  the  call  of  a  duty  so  sub- 
lime. 

Did  women  grieve  alone  over  the  forsaken  hearth- 
stone? Was  not  the  sacrifice  as  great  to  the  loving 
sons  and  husbands  marching  away  in  the  magnificent 
trappings  of  war,  although  their  eyes  were  fixed  on 
the  glories  of  fame,  and  their  hearts  set  on  victory? 

"Do  not  think  my  boy  felt  no  sorrow  to  go,"  said 
a  gray-haired  mother,  while  the  tears  welled  into  her 
eyes.  "He  was  proud  and  gallant  as  the  captain 


30  BOTHER    BlCKERDYKE. 

himself,  but  the  letters  he  sent  back  to  us  were  full  of 
affection  and  longing  for  the  old  place;  and  his  last 
message,  spoken  on  the  bloody  field  to  a  comrade, 
was,  'Tell  them  at  home  that  I  thought  of  them  to 
the  last.' " 

When  the  soldiers  were  preparing  for  departure, 
women  had  gathered  into  little  circles  and  made  with 
tact  and  aptitude  the  flags  that  floated  in  the  splendor 
of  all  the  stars  and  stripes,  over  the  brave  men  who 
had  volunteered  to  die  if  need  be,  that  not  one  star 
should  cease  to  spangle  the  azure  of  their  standard. 
The  days  in  which  the  soldiers  departed  upon  their 
mission  were  vividly  painted  on  the  memories  of 
those  who  saw  them.  Every  one  realized  that  never 
again  would  that  place  witness  the  same  vigorous 
ranks  and  leaders  assembled  as  now  they  were. 
Along  the  perilous  path  before  them  many  were  sure 
to  fall,  yet  those  scenes  were  more  characterized  by 
hope  and  faith  in  the  valiant  arm  than  by  sorrow. 
All  honor  to  people  so  heroic!  They  are  worthy  de- 
scendants of  the  men  who  conquered  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. With  shout  and  cheer  the  streets  resound 
while  the  "boys  in  blue"  pass  through  them,  and 
the  flash  of  their  polished  steel  and  iris-hued  banners 
glitter  in  the  sunlight.  Songs  of  the  soaring  lark 
and  spring-time's  myriad  blossoms  seem  prophesying 
their  predestined  victories. 

The  wistful  eyes  that  watched  them  depart,  through 
tears,  did  not  cease  to  weep  when  the  martial  music 
had  grown  silent  in  distance;  but  turned  upon  the 
vacant  chambers  they  had  left,  and  became  clear  only 


HOME  EFFORTS.  31 

to  bend  upon  some  task  that  might  still  be  a  benefit 
to  them.  With  one  accord  the  women  of  the  coun- 
try turned  their  attention  to  devices  for  aiding  and 
encouraging  the  soldiers;  and  for  alleviating  the  suf- 
ferings which  they  knew  would  be  inevitable.  Their 
love  and  patriotism  did  not  for  a  moment  permit  of 
their  enduring  the  trials  of  suspense  in  idleness  and 
vain  regret. 

Little  more  than  a  vague  idea  of  what  would  be 
needed,  or  the  most  acceptable,  could  be  entertained 
by  persons  who  had  had  no  experience  in  war  upon 
so  tremendous  a  scale.  Being  generally  well  read 
and  intelligent,  they  had  gathered  from  books  and 
periodicals  a  theoretical  knowledge,  but  this  was  found 
to  be  of  little  practical  value  when  applied  to  the 
present  circumstances;  and  it  led  to  numberless  mis- 
takes. Even  the  most  prominent  in  anticipating  and 
preparing  for  the  consequences  of  the  great  battles 
that  were  at  hand,  had  no  well-defined  course  of 
action  mapped  out  for  themselves,  and  in  many 
instances  acknowledged  this  openly.  Although  they 
knew  not  exactly  what  to  do,  their  feelings  demanded 
expression,  and  impelled  action  in  some  direction 
that  offered  a  promise  of  serving  those  in  whom  they 
felt  so  deep  an  interest.  They  did  what  seemed  the 
most  likely  to  succeed,  with  a  faith  and  perseverance 
that  could  not  fail  of  achieving  their  object  in  the 
end;  but  in  the  meantime  the  tempest  was  raging, 
and  the  land  echoed  with  tales  of  suffering  and  want 
that  thrilled  every  heart. 

At  this  period    Mrs.   Bickerdyke  began   the  work 


32  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

which  has  since  made  her  famous.  She  was  uncon- 
scious of  the  course  that  lay  before  her,  never  entertain- 
ing a  thought  of  pursuing  any  philanthropic  work. 
Her  own  life  seemed  full  enough  of  care  and  troubles 
without  adding  those  of  others,  although  her  willing 
hands  had  soothed  many  a  feverish  brow,  and  her 
helpful  words  brightened  for  many  the  dark  hours  of 
suffering  and  pain. 

When  she  had  seen  the  young  men  march  away, 
her  heart  had  followed  them  with  all  of  a  mother's 
love,  as  well  as  a  noble  woman's  patriotism.  Her  en- 
thusiasm continually  increased.  Every  column  in 
the  daily  press  was  scanned  carefully,  and  every  dis- 
patch from  the  seat  of  war  anxiously  considered. 
Tales  of  suffering  began  to  fill  the  air.  Sickness 
and  neglect  prevailed  among  the  disabled  soldiers, 
and  they  needed  delicate  food  and  tender  nursing, 
both  of  which  circumstances  denied  them.  Listen- 
ing to  rumors  like  this,  her  sympathies  were  not  ex- 
pressed in  words  alone,  nor  was  she  content  to  work 
blindly  as  so  many  did  without  any  assurance  of 
su-ceeding  in  their  object.  Her  mighty  soul  was 
roused  to  the  utmost  and  began  to  manifest  its  remark- 
able latent  powers. 

Her  constitution  and  courage  rendered  the  fear  of 
disease  and  death  an  unconceived  idea.  Toil  and 
hardship  had  no  terrors  for  her.  Her  cheek  did  not 
blanch  nor  her  eyes  swim  when  she  heard  the  thun- 
der of  cannon,  for  her  armor  of  fortitude  was  in- 
vulnerable to  shafts  like  these,  although  they  usually 
lacerate  feminine  sensibilities  to  the  quick.  The 


TALES  OF  SUFFERING.  '33 

thought  which  filled  her  was  of  the  brave  men  fight- 
ing valiantly  for  their  country,  in  spite  of  shot  and 
shell  that  showered  around  them  a  rain  of  death. 
"They  are  hungry  and  cold  and  bleeding,  and  suffer, 
with  none  to  minister  to  their  wants,"  were  the  words 
that  inspired  her  to  action,  while  they  made  others 
quail  and  faint.  By  her  deeds,  she  seemed  to  say, 
"My  fair  sisters,  stay  you  here  at  the  hearth-stone, 
and  prepare  bandages  and  lint  for  them,  while  I  go  to 
the  wars,  and  with  my  own  hands  bind  up  the  wounds 
of  our  suffering  boys." 


II. 


GALF.SBURG,  ILLINOIS — THE  NATIONAL  HYMN — OFF  TO  THE  WAR 
WITH  PRECIOUS  FREIGHT— SOLDIERS  AT  CAIUO— BELMONT — 
BIVOUAC  FIRES  NEAR  FORT  HENRY — MRS.  BICKERDYKK'S 
HEROISM  AT  FORT  UONELSON — WASHING  AT  SAVANNAH — 
EIGHTY  WAR  STEAMERS  MOVING  ui'  THE  TENNESSEE — BATTLE 
OF  SIHI.OII— AGENT  IN  THE  MILITARY  FIELD. 


•HE  cold  winds  that  swept  over  the 
prairie  lands  as  they  lay  wrapped  in 
the  winter  coverlid  of  snow,  were 
being  chained  again  in  their  frozen 
caves.  In  vain  the  silvery  flakes  had 
sought  to  mantle  the  bare  trees,  for 
they  had  been  blown  from  the  shiver- 
ing branches,  as  fast  as  they  had  found 
a  lodgment  there.  But  April  came, 
filling  the  heavens  with  sunshine  that  thrilled,  with 
an  impulse  of  life,  the  seeds  and  roots  nestling  in  its 
bosom.  Every  leafless  twig  in  the  orchards  felt  the 
warm  kiss  of  sunbeams,  and  in  response,  nature 
twined  them  with  fresh,  rosy  blooms,  that  scented  the 
air  with  their  fragrance.  Those  sweet  fruit  blos- 
soms !  They  are  the  fairest  emblems  of  hope  and 
promise  the  world  contains.  From  the  town  of 
(34) 


VOLUNTEERS  FROM  GALESBURG.  35 

Galesburg,  in  the  bright  spring  weather,  five  hundred 
men  had  gone  to  the  war,  answering,  by  this  heroic 
action,  the  first  call  of  our  country  for  defenders. 
Up  through  the  clear  air,  smoke  wreaths  curled  from 
the  chimneys,  while  beneath  the  roofs  all  who  re- 
mained brooded  over  the  nation's  trouble.  They 
talked  with  each  other  upon  this  exciting  topic,  to 
the  exclusion  of  almost  every  other  subject,  and 
watched  anxiously  each  day  for  new  tidings.  But 
who  could  be  despondent  wi  h  all  the  beauties  of 
early  spring  awakening  around  them?  The  unfold- 
ing of  young  leaves  and  buds  invites  the  mind  to 
hopeful  anticipations,  and  so  the  girls  of  Galesburg 
exchanged  .with  each  other  sweet  confidences  con- 
cerning their  soldier  friends  and  lovers;  then  they  went 
about  their  duties  with  snatches  of  song  on  their  lips. 
Young  housewives  and  old  mothers  prepared  the 
most  delicious  cakes  and  sweetmeats,  and  packed 
them  in  strong  boxes,  with  clean  linen  and  other  com- 
forts, thinking  to  send  them  to  their  particular  loved 
ones,  who  were  enduring  the  perils  and  hardships  of 
civil  strife.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  in  her  energetic  way, 
worked  for  the  same  purpose,  though  none  of  her 
family  had  gone  with  the  Galesburg  volunteers.  Her 
husband  had  died  two  years  before,  and  her  sons  were 
so  young  that  they  could  not  be  admitted  into  the 
army;  still  her  heart  was  enlisted  for  her  country's 
welfare,  and  her  hope  gilded  the  edges  of  every  cloud. 
She  was  eminently  social  in  her  disposition,  and 
loved  to  meet  people  in  an  informal  way;  for  her  ob- 
ject was  to  learn  of  what  they  were  thinking  and  feel- 


36  MOTHER  BICKEUDVKE 

ing.  Her  own  ideas  were  offered  freely,  and  in  return 
she  would  not  take  mere  ceremonious  commonplaces. 
Anything  like  a  taste  for  gossip  was  foreign  to  her 
mind.  Whatever  she  said  was  for  a  purpose,  and  she 
had  the  gift  of  clothing  her  thoughts  in  such  quaint, 
yet  clear  expressions,  that  they  struck  her  hearers 
with  augmented  force,  inspiring  confidence  and  gain- 
ing candor  in  return. 

During  this  season  the  whole  town  was  made 
gloomy,  by  receiving,  for  burial,  the  forms  of  two  of 
their  own  volunteers.  One  had  been  the  sexton  of  a 
church,  and  the  other  a  young  student,  both  of  whom 
the  people  had  known  in  the  pride  of  youthful  man- 
hood; and  had  seen  depart,  in  the  beauty  of  health 
and  strength,  but  a  few  weeks  before.  The  useful- 
ness and  joy  of  life  they  had  sacrificed  for  their  land, 
and  now  the  dust  and  ashes  of  the  offering  were  re- 
turned to  be  placed  with  their  kindred. 

The  next  Sabbath,  when  the  bells  were  ringing,  and 
the  people,  well  dressed  and  decorous,  were  on  their 
way  to  church,  they  discussed,  in  subdued  tones,  the 
sad  event,  and  the  latest  news  from  the  war. 

"  Mrs.  Bickcrdyke,"  said  a  friend,  joining  her, 
"  Major  Woodruff  has  written  of  the  sickness  breaking 
out  among  the  soldiers  at  Cairo;  perhaps  you  have 
heard  already  of 'their  terrible  condition.  Some  of 
them  are  lying  entirely  without  care  or  suitable  food. 
Many  are  down  with  typhoid  fever,  resulting  from 
hunger  and  fatigue." 

"  The  Government  has  not  yet  been  able  to  provide 
relief  for  them,"  said  another  who  had  joined  the 


THE  NATIONAL  HYMN.  37 

little  group.  Thus  many  stood  talking  earnestly  un- 
til church  time.  The  services  opened  with  the  na- 
tional hymn;  and  as  the  deep  notes  of  the  organ  and 
voices  pealed  in  clear  strains, 

"  My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 
Of  thec  I  si  n^," 

The  truth  was  brought  forcibly  home  to  every  heart, 
how  deeply  they  did 

"Love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills," 

And  how  they  had  already  proved  that  love  by  their 
sacrifices.  Then  the  minister,  Dr.  Beecher,  told  them 
that  his  heart  was  too  much  in  the  cause  of  their  land 
to  allow  him  to  do  anything  but  prepare  to  relieve  he 
suffering  soldiers.  His  words  were  answered  by 
every  member  with  deep  sympathy,  and  consequently 
church  service  was  discontinued,  in  order  -that  they 
might  do  the  will  of  Heaven  by  performing  the  duties 
their  leader  pointed  out  to  them. 

They  all  went  to  work  eagerly,  and  with  a  definite 
purpose.  Now  their  contributions  were  not  only 
delicacies,  but  many  a  motherly  heart  recalled  what 
her  own  family  had  required  in  sickness,  and  sent 
things  of  a  like  nature  to  those  who  were  sick,  and 
far  away  from  loving  care.  Pity  and  charity  may 
have  influenced  these  noble  workers,  but  the  main- 
spring of  their  zeal  was  love  and  patriotism,  M> 
blended  as  to  form  one  overpowering  sentiment.  In 
such  a  company,  the  timid  or  negative  in  disposition 
naturally  look  to  the  strong  and  positive  for  direction 
and  help.  The  majority  of  women  bend  like  the 

274527 


38  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

willow,  to  let  the  storm  pass  over  them;  and  when 
one  braves  it  with  unflinching  courage  and  strength 
they  rally  around  her  as  if  she  were  their  captain. 

"  How  fortunate  the  sick  men  at  Cairo  would  be  if 
you  could  go  down  to  them,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,"  said 
one.  "You  have  had  experience  in  such  work  and 
are  so  strong. and  encouraging,"  added  another. 

"  Surely  all  these  things  must  go  in  charge  of  one  or 
more  of  us,  so  let  us  elect  delegates,"  a  lady  'among 
them  suggested;  and  accordingly  those  who  were  best 
fitted  to  superintend  the  distribution  of  their  gifts, 
and  who  could  best  be  spared  from  home  duties,  were 
chosen.  By  Monday  afternoon,  a  number  of  car 
loads  ready  for  shipment  were  placed  in  their  charge. 
Among  them  none  looked  with  more  pleasure  or  con- 
fidence upon  their  duties  than  Mrs.  Bickerdyke.  Her 
blue  eyes  beamed  with  enthusiasm,  as  she  discussed 
plans  with  her  friends.  Over  the  broad  prairie  lands 
sped  the  train,  carrying  all  this  precious  freight.  The 
level  stretches  that  met  the  blue  horizon  far  away 
were  green  as  emeralds  with  crisp  young  verdure  ex- 
panding in  the  sunlight;  and  across  this  beautiful  plair 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  gave  a  parting  glance  at  the  fail- 
homes  of  Galesburg,  and  started  upon  her  noble,  vol- 
untary mission. 

When  they  arrived  at  Cairo,  with  their  offerings  of 
comfort  and  cheer,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  said  in  her  prac- 
tical way,  "  The  greatest  blessing  that  could  be  be- 
stowed upon  the  poor,  brave  boys  would  be  to  give 
them  good  nursing  and  good  housekeeping."  What 
a  change  took  place  in  their  miserable  condition! 


BELMONT.  39 

Order  was  restored  around  them,  and  comfort  gained 
supremacy  over  pain.  Their  wards  were  transformed 
from  close,  uncleanly  places  of  suffering  to  wholesome, 
airy  chambers  that  invited  the  return  of  health.  The 
tempting  food  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  gave  them  was  ac- 
cepted with  smiles  that  had  long  been  absent  from 
their  thin,  wan  faces;  and  in  return  for  her  offerings,  she 
was  blessed  by  those  whom  she  had  comforted.  She 
remained  with  them  during  that  long  summer,  and 
although  she  heard  the  news  of  battles  throughout  the 
land,  her  heart  was  here,  faithfully  bent  upon  the  one 
duty  that  seemed  paramount, — the  ministering  to  suf- 
ferers who  were  at  hand.  Even  when  the  Confederate 
forces  were  gathering  at  Belmont,  only  a  short  dis- 
tance down  the  broad  Mississippi,  she  remained  at  her 
post,  scarcely  heeding  them;  But  when  later  Colonel 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  in  command  of  three  thousand  Illi- 
nois troops,  passed  through  Cairo,  she  beheld  them 
with  interest  and  pride. 

"They  will  need  me  at  Belmont  after  the  battle," 
may  have  been  her  thought,  as  she  looked  at  the 
strong  men  in  their  dusty  uniforms,  marching  with 
firm  tread  to  the  field;  and  she  must  have  shud- 
dered to  imagine  how  pale  and  changed  some  of  them 
would  be  when  she  should  behold  them  again.  They 
seemed  to  follow  their  leader  with  only  the  thought 
of  triumph. 

After  this  battle  took  place,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was 
assigned  to  the  field  hospitals.  Here  in  the  chill  No- 
vember weather,  the  wounded  men  could  only  be  ex- 
posed to  sufferings  and  death  more  cruel  than  that 


40  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

showered  upon  them  by  the  opposing  forces;  so  they 
were  removed,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  floating  hospitals. 

The  tide  of  war  sweeping  onward,  marking  its  course 
by  a  trail  of  crimson,  was  slightly  stayed  by  the 
stormy  winter  months.  While  the  snow  mantled  the 
earth  with  robes  of  vestal  purity,  men  seemed  loath  to 
stain  it  with  each  other's  blood.  The  experience  of 
the  last  year  had  made  the  necessity  of  providing 
better  care  for  those  who  fell  wounded  in  battle,  and 
for  the  sick,  apparent.  Many  efforts  to  this  end  were 
being  made. 

In  June,  1861,  the  Secretary  of  War  issued  an  order 
appointing  a  Committee  of  Inquiry  and  Advice,  in  re- 
spect to  the  sanitary  interests  of  the  United  States 
forces.  The  men  selected  for  this  duty  met  in  Wash- 
ington and  organized  the  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission.  This  body  established  co-workers  and 
agents  in  the  principal  cities,  at  a  distance  where  they 
could  be  of  the  greatest  advantage  in  forming  branches 
to  aid  in  the  great  sanitary  work. .  During  the  fall  a 
powerful  auxiliary  branch  was  organized  in  Chicago. 
Afterward,  this  assumed  even  greater  proportions  than 
any  of  the  numerous  others;  and  besides,  became  a 
reservoir  to  receive  and  forward,  to  the  best  advan- 
tage, the  important  contributions  sent  to  the  army  by 
different  individuals,  and  by  aid  societies.  When  the 
Union  forces  were  preparing  to  advance  into  the  ter- 
ritory occupied  by  the  Confederates,  Dr.  Aigner,  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission, 
projected  the  plan  of  establishing  a  line  of  floating 
hospitals,  that  should  be  kept  near  the  gun-boats  upon 


CAMP  FIRES  AT  FORT  HENRY.  41 

the  Southern  waters.  This  idea  met  with  approval, 
and  the  first  of  these  sanitary  steamers  was  set  afloat 
in  the  Mississippi.  It  proved  to  be  a  success  and  was 
soon  joined  by  others.  Large  supplies  of  Government 
stores  were  obtained,  and  surgeons  and  nurses  were 
secured  for  the  soldiers.  Thus  it  was  that  when  the 
campaign  of  1862  opened,  the  hands  of  Liberty  were 
filled  with  balm  for  healing  those  who  should  suffer 
in  her  cause. 

The  eyes  of  the  warrior,  looking  southward,  rested 
upon  Fort  Henry,  as  a  Confederate  stronghold  to  be 
taken;  and  accordingly  Grant  moved  forward  with 
his  soldiers  while"  a  fleet  of  gun-boats  went  up  the 
Cumberland,  to  act  in  concert  with  the  land  forces. 
The  snows  and  heavy  rains  of  February  drenched  the 
ground,  as  the  invading  army  proceeded,  and  the  flo- 
tilla made  way  with  greater  speed  against  the  swollen 
volume  of  the  river.  Before  Grant  and  his  men  had 
time  to  begin  operations,  Commodore  Footecompelled 
the  Confederates  to  evacuate  the  fort,  most  of  the 
prisoners  escaping  to  Donelson. 

Amongseveral  nurses  and  surgeonsof  the  army,  Mrs. 
Bickerdyde  was  here,  rejoicing  over  the  good  fortune 
of  the  victors,  with  more  than  patriotic  feelings, 
since  so  few  men  had  been  wounded.  Now  her  will- 
ing hands  were  free  from  duty,  so  she  found  time  to 
view  the  scenes  around  her  with  an  unpreoccupied 
mind.  She  stood  looking  out  through  the  chill  air 
of  the  winter  night  at  the  camp-fires  of  Grant's  army. 
The  dark  figures  of  the  soldiers  moved  to  and  fro 
against  the  ruddy  lights,  that  revealed  with  flickering 


42  MOTHER  BICKERDVKK. 

gleams  their  surroundings,  and  the  stars  above  ap- 
peared like  white  diamond  points  in  contrast.  The 
glowing  flames  were  chcerffll  to  the  men  who  were 
weary  with  marching,  and  perhaps  in  the  embers 
some  soldier  pictured  his  far-away  home  and  treas- 
ures, while  he  thought  of  the  morrow  which  would 
find  him  among  the  ranks  starting  to  besiege  another 
stronghold;  and  that  promised  not  to  be  so  easily 
taken  as  the  one  captured  to-day.  But  the  warm 
blaze  caused  comrades  to  talk  of  their  friends  and 
loved  ones,  and  to  encourage  each  other  with  prospects 
of  future  triumphs,  until  sleep  in  mercy  made  them 
forget  their  present  perils.  To  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  this 
was  an  impressive  scene,  and  one  that  remained  in 
her  memory  ever  after 

The  next  morning  the  troops  started  for  Fort  Don- 
elson,  leaving  their  overcoats  and  .all  unnecessary 
things  behind  them.  A  fair  blue  sky  arched  above, 
and  they  went  as  gaily  as  if  to  a  banquet.  Now 
their  aim  was  victory,  and  the  thought  of  failure 
thrilled  them  with  redoubled  .determination  to  take 
the  Tort.  The  gun-boats  hastened,  by  way  of  the 
river,  to  the  point  of  attack.  In  the  meantime,  the 
world  looked  on  with  anxious  eyes,  watching  their 
proceedings.  Many  a  heart  ached  with  dread  and 
suspense  every  hour  during  that  severe  struggle;  while 
the  soldiers  who  took  part  in  it  suffered  untold  ago- 
nies.. The  weather  changed  suddenly,  and  winter 
blew  upon  the  unprotected  ranks  with  piercing  winds, 
and  rain,  and  snow.  For  three  days  the  fight  lasted; 
and  the  assailing  forces  endured  hunger  and  cold, 


FORT  DONELSON.  43 

lying  down  at  night  exhausted  upon  the  bare,  wet 
earth,  and  arising  at  dawn,  unrefrcshed,  to  recom- 
mence the  terrible  contest.  Shot  and  shell  poured 
into  the  bright  waters  of  the  Tennessee,  and  the 
helpful  gun-boats  were  driven  back  with  heavy  losses; 
but  Grant's  determined  men,  strong  in  faith  and 
dauntless  in  courage,  kept  up  the  siege  until  the  fort 
surrendered.  The  great  North  was  filled  with  re- 
joicing, which  was  loudly  proclaimed  by  the  ringing 
of  bells,  the  booming  of  cannon,  and  other  public 
demonstrations.  While  the  Union  was  exulting  over 
its  first  great  victory,  hundreds  of  the  soldiers  who 
had  been  wounded  in  winning  it  were  taken  from  the 
blood-stained  snow,  with  their  garments  frozen  upon 
them. 

This  was  the  first  battle-field  that  Mrs.  Bickcrdyke 
saw,  and  it  was  one  of  the  most  terrible.  There  were 
no  available  places  to  be  used  as  hospitals,  and  many 
of  the  men  lay  suffering  with  their  clothes  unremoved, 
and  their  wounds  undressed  until  they  perished.  The 
country,  which  was  making  every  effort  to  relieve 
them  in  their  extremity,  could  not  succor  them  until 
hundreds  had  died.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  and  her  small 
party  witnessed  this  calamity  with  courage;  and,  with 
unremitting  activity,  bent  upon  relieving  as  many  as 
possible.  She  saw  men  with  mangled  limbs  lying 
upon  bare  floors,  protected  only  by  their  soiled  and 
tattered  uniforms,  and  in  the  direst  want.  Perhaps, 
as  she  bent  over  one  with  a  bowl  of  broth  in  her 
hand,  and  a  bandage  for  his  wound,  the  poor  sufferer 
would  say,  "I  am  dying  now,"  and  breathing  into 


44  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

her  ears  a  message  for  those  he  held  most  dear,  expire 
before  her  eyes.  Another  less  seriously  injured, 
would  be  so  thankful  for  her  aid  that  he  would  ex- 
press his  feelings  with  tears. 

The  Confederates  who  had  been  hurt  were  taken 
in  charge  by  these  willing  workers,  after  having  been 
deserted  by  their  own  surgeons.  When  ministering 
to  them  it  was  forgotten  that  they  were  fallen  foes, 
and  the  kindness  they  received  filled  them  with 
surprise  and  gratitude,  often,  touchingly  expressed. 
"That  arm  would  not  have  done  so  well,  if  I  had 
known  what  sort  of  people  I  was  fighting,"  said  one, 
as  his  shattered  arm  was  being  dressed  by  gentle  and 
skillful  hands. 

From  a  weird  incident  that  occurred  here  it  may 
be  gathered  how  courageous  and  deeply  interested 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was.  Through  the  darkness  that 
wrapt  the  whole  landscape  at  midnight,  a  strange 
light  appeared  flitting  about  over  the  deserted  battle- 
field, where  the  dead  still  lay  awaiting  burial.  This 
was  seen  by  an  officer  who  chanced  to  be  looking 
out  of  his  tent,  and  he  sent  some  one  to  inquire  into 
the  cause  of  the  phantom  semblance.  He  was 
startled  on  the  return  of  his  messenger  to  learn  that 
it  was  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  examining,  by  the  light  of  a 
lantern,  those  who  had  been  left,  because  she  feared 
that  some  among  them  might  still  be  alive.  She  said 
that  she  could  not  endure  the  thought  that  any  con- 
scious being  was  lying  out  there  in  the  cold  and  gloom 
with  the  slain.  Through  that  awful  field  she  searched, 
not  with  a  grief-stricken  heart  seeking  her  kindred, 


A  WEIRD  INCIDENT.  45 

which  might  have  inspired  her  with  such  fearlessness, 
but  only  for  humanity's  sake.  Rarely,  indeed,  does 
a  woman  possess  such  nerve  or  self-forgetfulness  as 
this. 

These  harrowing  scenes,  never  to  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  passed  through  them,  were,  in  a  measure, 
ended  by  the  arrival  of  the  hospital  steamer,  City  of 
Memphis,  loaded  with  sanitary  stores  taken  on  at 
Cairo.  Physicians  arrived  from  Chicago  on  the  first 
trains,  after  telegrams  had  been  sent  for  them.  Two 
days  later  a  number  of  sanitary  steamers  brought  effi- 
cient relief.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  accompanied  five  boat 
loads  of  the  wounded  soldiers,  as  they  were  being  re- 
moved to  different  hospitals  along  the  rivers.  She 
did  all  that  she  could  to  lessen  their  pain  during  these 
necessary  journeys;  and  succeeded  so  well  that  she 
gained  the  most  sincere  confidence  and  admiration  of 
the  officers  and  surgeons,  who  could  appreciate  her 
remarkable  executive  ability  and  endurance.  After 
she  had  seen  the  courageous  sufferers  placed  in  good 
care,  she  turned  her  attention  to  another  feature  of 
her  work,  which  gained  her  still  greater  esteem  from 
those  who  already  recognized  her  superior  abilities. 
With  true  feminine  caution  and  forethought,  she  had 
the  cast-off  clothing  of  the  men  saved,  and  succeeded 
in  obtaining  an  order  from  the  proper  authorities  to 
have  them  cleansed  at  Savannah.  She  superintended 
this  task  herself,  having  the  washing  done  by  hired 
contrabands.  In  view  of  the  battles  which  were 
known  to  be  approaching  shortly,  this  was  extremely 
prudent.  The  army  had  grown  so  rapidly  that  the 


46  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

sanitary  projects  designed  by  Government  could  not 
at  first  be  of  practical  benefit  when  most  required; 
and  therefore  all  resources  husbanded  for  such  occa- 
sions would  be  of  untold  value  to  those  who  should 
need  them.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  realized  this.  She 
knew  what  anguish  awaited  some  of  those  who  would 
fall  wounded  at  Shiloh,  and  for  their  sakes  she  did 
not  shrink  from  the  hard,  self-imposed  duty  of  assort- 
ing and  having  prepared  the  thousands  of  soiled 
articles  that  would  have  been  utterly  worthless  but 
for  her;  but  which,  after  these  exertions,  would  be 
applied  to  many  a  purple  bruise  and  bleeding  hurt, 
affording  ease,  and  the  sweet  blessing  of  purity. 
Her  energy  and  strength,  which  had  before  seemed 
inexhaustible,  gave  way  while  she  was  engaged  in 
this  sickening  task,  but  fortunately  the  illness  lasted 
only  a  short  time.  • 

Was  not  her  resignation  in  performing  such  repul- 
sive work  for  humanity's  sake  as  noble  and  self- 
sacrificing  as  that  of  a  commander  who  leads  his  men 
into  the  very  jaws  of  death?  It  is  not  the  pale- 
faced  nun,  cloistered  in  a  lonely  cell,  who  should  be 
pictured  as  the  prototype  of  self-abnegation;  but  such 
a  woman  as  this,  strong,  high-minded,  and  capable  of 
overmastering  sympathies  that  cause  her  to  forget 
every  selfish  feeling  or  desire. 

In  March,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  went  on  board  the  gun- 
boat, Fanny  Bullet,  and  accompanied  the  2ist  Regi- 
ment of  Indiana  Volunteers  to  Pittsburg  Landing. 
A  fleet  of  more  than  eighty  war  steamers  moved  up 
the  dark  waters  of  the  Tennessee  in  a  heavy  storm  of 


YOUTHFUL   HEROES.  47 

rain  and  sleet.  Many  of  them  carried  troops  who 
had  fought  at  Fort  Donelson,  and  these  had  walked 
two  miles  over  the  bottom-lands,  in  ice-cold  water, 
ankle  deep,  to  reach  the  steamers,  where  they  found 
crowded  apartments  and  no  fires  or  refreshments. 
Still  they  joined  in  the  cheers  that  went  up  from  the 
hopeful  army.  The  next  morning  brought  sunshine, 
and  they  were  welcomed  by  the  songs  of  birds  ringing 
through  the  air,  and  the  freshened  face  of  nature 
smiling  around  them.  Alth  *ugh  many  of  these  men 
had  suffered  the  hardships  of  war,  every  one  moved 
with  the  quick  step,  and  examined  his  surroundings 
with  the  light-hearted  curiosity  of  lads  who  defied 
danger.  The  young  leaves  were  just  bursting  from 
their  downy  sheaths  upon  trees  and  saplings,  and 
beneath  them  blue-bells  had  begun  to  open  their  small 
cups  to  the  light.  Even  though  the  lowlands  were 
damp  and  unhealthful  from  the  late  storms,  and  the 
rains  that  still  fell  at  intervals,  this  did  not  lessen  the 
enthusiasm  that  reigned,  and  was  especially  marked 
among  the  young  volunteers,  who  were  yet  filled  with 
the  glow  of  newly  awakened  patriotism.  Many  of 
these  soldiers  were  little  more  than  boys,  and  among 
them  could  be  found  those  who  had  been  cherished  as 
the  pride  and  joy  of  a  whole  household. 

One  like  this,  Louis  R.  Belknap,was  in  the  i6th  Regi- 
ment of  Wisconsin  Volunteers.  He  had  seen  scarcely 
nineteen  years,  but  was  tall  and  broad  shouldered,  and 
had  a  manly  will  to  master  any  task  that  Providence 
might  set  before  him.  Still  his  cheeks  were  as 
blooming,  and  his  dark  blue  eyes  as  sparkling  as  those 


48  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

of  a  girl.  His  father  and  brothers  and  sisters  loved 
him  with  more  fondness  than  was  naturally  due  from 
them,  because  he  had  been  left  in  their  care  a 
motherless  babe.  This  blithesome,  half-willful  boy 
was  the  life  of  his  home,  and  there  he  was  still  called 
"  little  Louis,"  as  he  had  been  when  his  sunny  hair 
clustered  in  ringlets  about  his  neck.  The  prospects 
opening  before  him  were  inviting,  and  he  surveyed 
them  with  the  confidence  which  is  given  by  the  high 
spirits  and  joy  of  perfect  youth. 

Suddenly  the  clouds  of  war  lowered  over  the  land, 
and  to  him  they  formed  a  dark  background  against 
which  the  gorgeous  trappings  of  the  army  shone  with 
dazzling  brilliancy.  The  fancies  that  had  always 
been  kindled  into  admiration  by  heroes  were  made 
real,  and  appealed  to  him  with  the  force  of  action. 
Besides,  the  higher  sense  of  patriotism  was  awakened. 
"  What  is  my  life  compared  to  the  integrity  of  this 
great  land  for  which  so  many  have  already  died  ?  " 
was  the  thought  that  absorbed  all  lesser  ideas,  and 
he  enlisted  at  the  first  call  for  volunteers,  without 
having  even  consulted  those  who  loved  him  most  ten- 
derly. From  Camp  Grant  his  letters  were  full  of  the 
delight  he  took  in  a  soldier's  life.  "  It  is  glorious,"  he 
said  in  one  of  them;  and  concluded,  "now  I  am  ready 
for  my  first  battle,  and  I  hope  you  are  glad  to  know 
that  I  am  willing  to  die  for  my  country." 

At  Pittsburg  Landing  he  was  in  the  division  under 
General  Prentiss,  which  was  surprised  about  sunrise 
on  the  first  day.  He.  was  one  of  the  brave  boys  who 
rushed  to  their  :cnts  and  seized  their  guns  at  the 


PRENTISS'S   COMMAND.  49 

earliest  sounds  of  strife.  Nobly  he  stood  performing 
his  duty  until  he  was  wounded,  and  as  a  comrade 
was  bearing  him  to  the  rear  a  fatal  ball  struck  him. 
With  his  expiring  breath  he  said,  "Tell  my  friends 
that  I  died  on  the  field  of  battle."  After  Shiloh 
was  won,  he  was  buried  with  the  members  of  his  com- 
pany. He  was  a  generous,  noble  boy;  still,  it  is  better 
to  know  that  he  died  bravely  as  he  did,  than  to  be 
assured  that  he  is  still  alive,  and  had  fled  like  a  cow- 
ard, as  so  many  did  that  day.  So  this  beautiful 
youth  was  placed  in  a  soldier's  grave.  The  pre- 
cious offering  was  not  in  vain,  for,  years  after,  Gen- 
eral Grant,  when  describing  this  battle,  wrote  of 
General  Prentiss's  command,  "  It  had  rendered  valiant 
service,  and  had  contributed  a  good  share  to  the  de- 
fense of  Shiloh." 

This  triumph,  although  so  costly,  was  a  glory 
to  the  land,  and  thousands  of  citizens  expressed 
their  joy  in  public  demonstrations.  Others  have  pict- 
ured, with  skill,  those  mighty  contending  forces,  and 
shown  to  whom  should  be  given  the  laurels  of  the 
warrior's  wreath.  But  there  is  another  view,  and 
though  it  is  sad,  it  invites  the  attention  by  the  stern 
beauty  of  truth,  or  by  its  appeal  to  all  that  is  charit- 
able and  tender  in  the  human  heart.  Who  would 
leave  out  of  the  picture  of  war  the  prostrate  figures 
of  the  slain,  or  forget,  in  their  praise  of  the  vic- 
torious heroes,  those  who  had  shed  their  blood  in  the 


While  the  battle  was  raging,  a  brave  soldier,  who 
had  been  disabled  in  the  engagement  at  Fort  Donel- 
4 


50  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

son,  lay  in  his  cot  listening  to  the  rattle  and  din  of 
the  fight.  This  was  General  C.  F.  Smith,  and  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  was  his  attendant,  nursing  him  with  the 
gentlest  care.  He  awakened  in  her  a  high  admiration 
by  his  longing  to  join  in  the  engagement.  About 
noon  of  the  first  day,  when  the  tide  of  battle  seemed 
to  be  against  the  Federals,  he  could  not  be  restrained, 
but  rushed  through  his  tent,  exclaiming,  "  It  can't  be 
— those  brave  troops  will  never  surrender.  They  will 
fight  to  the  last,  and  conquer.  Oh,  that  I  were  with 
them  ! "  He  soon  joined  many  of  those  ranks,  but 
not  to  guide  them  to  victory,  for  they  were  numbered 
with  the  dead. 

Sunday  night,  after  the  conflict  had  ceased  until 
day  should  dawn  again,  the  rain  poured  upon  the 
cheerless  bivouacs;  weary  soldiers  lay  on  the  wet 
earth,  unprotected  from  its  pitiless  streams,  and  with 
sleepless  eyes  that  could  not  see  a  single  star  in  the 
black  heavens,  but,  instead,  the  red  glare  of  a  shell, 
as  it  sped  on  its  errand  of  death  to  the  Confederate 
encampments.  Gun-boats,  stationed  in  the  river,  sent 
these  missiles  every  fifteen  minutes  during  the  night. 
One  soldier  said,  "  I  could  not  sleep,  so  I  spent  part  of 
the  dreary  hours  in  carrying  water  from  the  creek  to 
some  who  were  lying  in  an  old  house,  wounded." 
Every  available  habitation  was  used  to  shelter  those 
who  were  injured.  The  surgeons  and  their  assistants 
toiled  constantly  at  their  humane  duties,  while  their 
lamps,  glimmering  in  the  darkness,  revealed  sights 
that  made  the  strongest  warrior  turn  away.  General 
Grant  said  in  regard  to  one  of  these  scenes,  "  Some 


THE  WOUNDED  AT  SHILOH.  51 

time  after  midnight,  growing  restive  under  the  storm 
.nd  the  continuous  pain  [he  had  sprained  his  ankle], 
I  moved  back  to  the  log-house  on  the  bank.  This 
had  been  taken  as  a  hospital,  and  all  night  wounded 
men  were  being  brought  in,  their  wounds  dressed,  a 
leg  or  an  arm  amputated,  as  the  case  might  require, 
and  everything  being  done  to  save  life  or  to  alleviate 
suffering.  The  sight  was  more  unendurable  than  en- 
countering the  rebel  fire,  and  I  returned  to  my  tree  in 
the  rain." 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  did  not  see  this  field  during  the 
battle.  "  I  had  too  much  to  do  for  that,"  she  said^ 
"  but  as  the  wounded  men  were  being  brought  in,  al- 
though they  were  suffering  severely,  their  hearts  were 
so  full  of  the  recent  occurrences  that  they  could  not 
help  talking  about  them.  As  they  had  been  stationed 
in  different  places,  and  described  the  scenes  from 
their  various  standpoints,  I  gathered  a  complete 
idea  of  what  had  been  done.  The  saddest  thing  in 
my  experience  was  receiving  their  last  messages  and 
little  treasures  to  be  sent  home  to  their  families  when 
death  came  to  relieve  them  from  pain.  Such  cries 
as,  '  What  will  become  of  my  children  ? '  were  hardest 
of  all  to  bear." 

These  thrilling  words  found  a  full  response  in  the 
motherly  heart  that  beat  but  to  soothe  and  che  r 
those  who  were  sacrificing  so  much  for  our  country's 
sake.  She  worked  faithfully,  and  with  remarkable 
courage,  in  a  small  house  that  had  been  placed  in  her 
charge,  and  where  lay  seventy  wounded  soldiers  and 
eight  officers.  The  rain  continued  to  fall,  and  before 


52  MOTHKR    BlCKERDYKE. 

relief  could  be  obtained  by  the  arrival  of  hospital 
steamers  the  utmost  destitution  prevailed,  adding  ex- 
tra pangs  to  those  who  already  suffered  as  muchas 
they  could  endure.  Throughout  the  vast  encamp- 
ment, the  tents  were  filled  with  sorrowful  occupants, 
lying  upon  beds  of  damp  straw.  To  them  the  watch- 
ful care  and  gentle  touch  of  such  as  Mrs.  Bickerdyke, 
came  like  ministrations  from  an  angel  of  mercy.  In 
these  scenes  she  needed  all  her  strength,  and  it  served 
her  well;  for.  she  found  happiness  in  relieving  the 
most  neglected,  besides  caring  for  those  who  occupied 
the  house  placed  in  her  possession.  These  men  were 
fortunate;  for  with  womanly  tact,  she  contrived  to 
make  them  feel  an  influence  like  that  exercised  by  one 
who  has  in  them  a  personal  interest.  Indeed,  they 
could  not  help  becoming  sensible  of  her  tender  re- 
gard, because  her  sympathies  went  out  to  them  so 
wholly  that  she  never  thought  of  herself,  or  seemed 
conscious  that  she  looked  continually  upon  sufferings, 
the  sight  of  which  few  could  endure.  Her  only 
thought  during  these  trying  seasons  is  beautifully  ex- 
pressed in  her  own  simple  words:  "  I  kept  doing  some- 
thing all  the  time  to  make  them  better,  and  help  them 
to  get  well." 

Here,  her  dress  suggested  no  ideal  of  grace  or  fash- 
ion, but,  instead,  was  one  to  which  she  had  scarcely 
given  a  thought.  Her  movements  were  not  such  as 
the  artist  loves  to  study,  still  she  won  more  praise  and 
gave  more  delight  than  the  fairest  belle  in  her  own 
high  circle.  How  radiant  were  her  smiles  in  those 
dismal  days,  as  she  went  and  came  with  a  cheering 


THE  WOUNDED  SENT  NORTH.  53 

word  and  a  welcome  gift  on  numberless  errands ! 
Doctors  and  sanitary  agents  sought  her  help  and 
counsel,  and  found  them  a  blessing.  Her  name  was 
spoken  with  expressions  of  gratitude  by  numberless 
soldiers,  and  they  remembered  it  ever  after.  Toward 
the  last  of  that  terrible  week,  the  encouraging  sounds 
of  the  long-expected  steamers  were  heard  upon  the 
river,  and  soon  they  crowded  the  landing.  Up  the 
slippery  banks  stores  for  immediate  use  were  taken, 
and  distributed  to  those  who  had  waited  so  long  for 
them.  As  one  of  the  steamers,  the  Patten,  had  to 
leave  immediately,  General  Grant  permitted  her  stores 
to  be  placed  upon  his  floating  head-quarters,  the  Ti- 
gress, until  a  place  could  be  prepared  for  them;  be- 
cause there  was  neither  building  nor  tent  upon  the 
shore  that  could  serve  them  for  a  shelter. 

The  changeful  weather  of  April  gave  place  to  May 
sunshine,  and  a  large  number  of  the  soldiers,  who  had 
suffered  here  so  long,  were  carried  back  to  the  purcj 
invigorating  air  of  the  North,  and  placed  in  military 
hospitals  there.  The  governor  of  Illinois  chartered  a 
number  of  steamboats  to  bring  back  the  disabled 
soldiers  of  that  State;  and  at  Chicago  the  Sanitary 
Commission  undertook  the  duty  of  receiving  and  en- 
tertaining veterans  who  were  returning  from  the  scenes 
of  action.  This  proved  to  be  the  nucleus  of  the  cel- 
ebrated Soldiers'  Home  at  Chicago.  Other  transports 
carried  the  wounded  away  from  Pittsburg  Landing  to 
Paducah  and  to  Savannah.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  went 
to  the  latter  place,  and  continued  her  work  there. 
With  an  aptitude  which  springs  from  originality,  she 
found  ways  of  carrying  into  effect  her  ideas,  while 


54  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

another  might  have  waited  half  baffled  for  want  of 
help.  She  would  not  offer  to  those  who  possessed  the 
fastidious  appetites  of  invalids,  food  from  which  they 
could  not  help  but  turn  away.  Yet  what  could  be 
done  to  better  this  state  of  the  diet  supply,  when  all 
resources  were  exhausted  ?  The  whole  town  was  in 
want  of  many  necessary  things.  This  problem  re- 
mained unsolved  until  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  seemingly 
without  a  second  thought,  had  a  large  stove  placed  in 
her  own  room,  and  there  cooked  with  skill  and  suc- 
cess the  delicate  preparations  that  her  patients  re- 
quired. While  she  was  doing  this  humane  work,  san- 
itary supplies  were  brought  for  their  relief.  These 
timely  gifts  had  been  prepared  in  many  a  quiet  home, 
from  which  they  were  forwarded  to  Chicago,  and 
there  received  by  the  Sanitary  Commission, re-arranged 
and  sent  in  charge  of  an  agent  to  the  places  where 
they  would  be  of  the  most  service. 

"  In  whose  care  shall  I  leave  them,  and  who  will 
distribute  them,"  the  agent  inquired  of  one  of  the 
medical  authorities  at  Savannah.  "  With  Mrs.  Bick- 
erdyke," he  quickly  answered;  "there  is  not  another 
here  who  is  more  faithful,  or  would  do  more  good 
with  them."  One  so  efficient,  and  so  interested  in 
caring  for  the  soldiers,  could  not'  remain  long  unrecog- 
nized by  the  Sanitary  Commission.  Mrs.  Porter,  the 
wife  of  an  army  chaplain,  who  was  connected  with 
the  Commission,  was  sent  from  Chicago  with  a  num- 
ber of  nurses  to  Savannah.  There  she  met  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke,  and,  becoming  interested  in  the  same 
work,  secured  their  appointments  from  the  Commis- 
sion, as  agents  in  the  military  field. 


III 


THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  HOSPITALS  AND  THE  SOLDIERS'  MOTHEK~- 
FARMINGTON — THE  FIELD  OF  IUKA— CORINTH— WASHING  IN 
THE  WOODS — THE  BOARD  OF  TRADE  REGIMENT — A  WELCOME 
ORDER — INTERIOR  OF  A  HOSPITAL  TENT — THE  HOMES  OF 
MOURNING — GIFTS  FOR  THE  SOLDIERS — WINTER  SCENES. 


•HE  long  summer  days  dawned  and  lin- 
gered at  Savannah,  on  the  Tennessee 
River,  but  the  sunlight  fell  uselessly 
upon  many  a  neglected  field  and  rav- 
aged orchard.  During  the  afternoons 
it  was  shut  away  from  the  hospital 
rua  ^ry^  chambers,  for  there  in  the  quiet  wards 
CO  X  &  were  many  whose  eyes  had  grown  dim 
from  pain  and  weakness.  Mrs.  Bick- 
crdykc  and  Mrs.  Porter  performed  their  chosen  duties 
here,  as  constantly  and  patiently  as  two  sisters  of 
charity,  yet  each  in  her  own  way.  Alike  they  sacri- 
ficed all  personal  comforts  and  never  thought  of  rec- 
reation or  change.  Their  food  was  plain,  and  their 
dress  as  simple  as  possible.  They  toiled  together  in 
harmony  that  was  rendered  complete  by  the  differ- 
ence in  their  natural  attributes.  Mrs.  Porter  had  a 


56  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

compassionate  disposition,  and  was  highly  cultivated. 
Her  figure  was  rather  slight  and  delicate,  her  com- 
plexion pale,  and  her  eyes  and  hair  were  dark.  The 
accents  of  pity  were  so  often  blended  with  her  words 
that  her  voice  became  permanently  low  an$  plaintive; 
and  her  sympathies  were  expressed  so  frequently  and 
so  gently,  that  the  soldiers  called  her  the  "  Angel  of 
the  Hospitals."  She  was  a  perfect  contrast  to  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke,  whose  sanguine  temperament  and  inde- 
pendent disposition  made  her  strong  and  cheerful, 
until  she  seemed  to  inspire  others  with  hope  and 
strength,  even  under  the  most  depressing  circum- 
stances. 

Above  a  narrow  cot  with  its  snowy  counterpanCj 
Mrs.  Porter  bent,  speaking  words  of  consolation  to  a 
dying  boy.  Her  own  countenance  was  radiant  with 
deep,  pure  faith,  and  her  voice,  so  earnest  and  tender, 
awakened  feelings  like  her  own  in  the  listener,  filling 
his  trembling  soul  with  courage  and  joy.  In  unnum- 
bered instances  like  this,  she  soothed  the  agonies  of 
death ;  and  to  all  who  suffered,  her  ministrations  were 
a  blessing. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  made  her  last  round  through  the 
wards  at  night.  The  lamps  burned  low,  and  many  of 
the  wounded  soldiers  slept,  while  others  watched  with 
heavy  eyes.  Here  and  there  she  administered  a  po- 
tion, or  some  refreshment,  as  she  passed  along,  caring 
for  them  all.  "  Are  you  not  tired,  Mother  Bicker- 
dyke  ?"  inquired  one  thoughtful  fellow,  as  she  served 
him. 

"  What  if  I  am,  that  is  nothing.     I  am   well   and 


FARMINGTON.  57 

strong,  and  all  I  want  is  to  see  you  so  too,"  she  re- 
plied in  lively  tones. 

In  a  few  moments  afterward,  she  stood  unflinch- 
ingly at  the  surgeon's  operating  table,  and  assisted 
him  while  he  performed  some  painful  duty.  After 
this  the  patient  was  placed  in  her  charge,  and  she 
gave  him  all  necessary  restoratives.  "  I  shall  surely 
die  now,"  he  murmured,  "  take  a  message  from  me  to 
my  p^or  family." 

"  Now  do  not  talk.  You  are  going  to  take  all  your 
messages  to  them  yourself;  for  I  know  you  have  a 
splendid  chance  to  get  well,"  returned  her  cheerful 
voice. 

Long  afterward,  she  said  earnestly,  "  Those  men 
were  very  brave,  bearing  the  most  terrible  sufferings 
in  a  heroic  manner,  and  with  little  complaint." 

July  found  few  soldiers  in  Savannah.  The  larger 
portion  of  those  who  had  been  taken  there  with  the 
shadow  of  death  falling  over  them,  had  recovered 
health,  and  departed  to  rejoin  their  regiments.  Others 
less  fortunate  had  returned  to  their  Northern  homes, 
scarred  and  disqualified  for  future  military  service. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  saw  with  pleasure  that  the  num- 
bers in  her  charge  were  rapidly  decreasing;  still  she 
did  not  think  of  spending  a  few  weeks  in  rest.  Her 
step  was  as  firm,  and  her  eye  as  clear  as  though  she 
had  not  watched  with  the  sick  for  so  many 
months.  There  was  work  for  her  to  do  elsewhere. 
At  Farmington,  the  hospital  was  sadly  in  want  of  just 
such  services  as  she  was  fitted  to  render.  No  sooner 
was  she  called  to  this  new  and  trying  scene  than  she 


58  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

hastened  to  gather  all  sanitary  supplies  that  were  not 
needed  at  Savannah,  and  went  with  them  to  Farming- 
ton.  On  her  arrival  there  she  exclaimed,  "  Never  diu 
a  place  need  cleaning  so  much  as  this  one  does.  The 
men  here  have  scarcely  a  chance  to  recover,  while 
they  are  so  uncomfortable." 

Immediately  she  set  a  number  of  colored  men  to 
work,  and  in  a  short  time  every  ward  was  rendered 
as  fresh  and  inviting  as  such  places  could  be. 

The  progress  of  the  war  was  southward,  along  the 
Tennessee  River,  and  in  September  a  battle  was 
fought  at  luka.  Here  the  Union  Army,  led  by  Gen- 
erals Grant  and  Rosecrans,  bore  the  national  flag  to 
victory;  and  they  marched  on  amid  the  cheers  and  re- 
joicing that  filled  the  air  in  consequence  of  their  suc- 
cess. This  was  a  hard  fought  contest,  and  several 
hundred  Federal  soldiers  remained  upon  the  ground 
wounded.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  again  walked  over  a 
blood-stained  field,  to  save  from  death  many  a  life 
fast  ebbing  away  for  want  of  immediate  succor. 
Quickly  and  deftly  she  stanched  the  blood  flowing 
from  wounds  and  bound  them  with  skill;  in  this  way 
saving  untold  numbers  of  brave  men  from  the  de- 
stroyer they  had  so  courageously  faced.  She  accom- 
panied them  as  they  were  taken  in  wagons  to  the  hos- 
pital at  Farmington,  which  she  had  previously  ar- 
ranged for  their  reception.  The  numbers  here  were 
swelled  to  nearly  fifteen  hundred,  and  made  the  place 
uncomfortably  full,  so  it  was  decided  to  remove  them 
to  the  more  ample  accommodations  which  could  be 
obtained  at  Corinth,  as  soon  as  the  condition  of  the 
patients  would  permit. 


THE  ACADEMY  HOSPITAL.  59 

At  Corinth  the  academy  for  the  education  of  young 
women  was  converted  into  a  military  hospital;  and 
during  September  it  was  placed  under  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke's  charge.  This  was  a  beautiful  building,  sit- 
uated upon  high  grounds  that  sloped  downward  in 
every  direction,  in  broad,  cultivated  lawns. 

As  the  men  were  being  taken  in  conveyances  from 
Farmington,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  not  only  went  with  them 
to  alleviate  sufferings  on  the  painful  journey,  but  did 
much  to  prevent  the  waste  that  is  usual  upon  such 
occasions.  Owing  to  limited  time  and  means  of 
transportation,  culinary  utensils,  soiled  clothing,  and 
such  things  as  were  not  absolutely  necessary  in  fitting 
up  the  place  to  which  they  were  going,  were  fre- 
quently left  without  regard  as  to  what  would  after- 
ward become  of  them.  With  prudent  forethought  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  had  all  these  articles  packed  closely,  and 
when  she  saw  that  they  were  to  be  left,  ex- 
claimed in  surprise,  "  Do  you  suppose  that  we  arc 
going  to  throw  away  those  things  which  the  daugh- 
ters and  wives  of  our  soldiers  have  worked  so  hard  to 
give  us  ?  I  will  prove  that  they  can  be  saved,  and 
the  clothes  can  be  washed  too.  Just  take  them 
along,"  she  concluded,  and  her  orders  were  obeyed. 

An  immense  cooking-stove  that  had  been  sent  to 
the  Farmington  hospital,  and  used  there,  was  left  in 
the  woods,  as  heavy  and  unnecessary  freight.  This 
did  not  escape  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  who  could  appreciate 
its  value,  and  she  had  it  taken  on  to  Corinth.  Here 
it  did  good  service  for  many  months  afterwards.  As 
she  became  more  widely  known,  her  strength  of  pur- 


60  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

pose  and  executive  ability  gained  the  confidence  and 
favor  of  the  authorities,  who  furnished  the  means  to 
carry  out  her  plans,  and  to  extend  them  indefinitely. 
The  Academy  Hospital  was  one  of  the  most  complete 
in  the  South.  All  of  its  details  were  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke's  especial  care,  and  beside,  she  did  much  other 
work,  establishing  a  large  diet  kitchen  and  a  laundry 
that  cleaned  an  abundance  of  linen  for  several  hos- 
pitals in  Corinth,  besides  the  one  under  her  own  super- 
vision. 

The  great  bales  of  soiled  clothing  that  she  had 
saved  from  being  burned  were  sent  in  charge  of 
colored  men  into  the  woods,  to  be  washed.  This 
process  lasted  nearly  a  week.  After  she  had  made 
her  round  of  inspection  at  the  Academy,  and  given 
orders  for  the  day,  she  mounted  a  white  horse,  and 
rode  away  from  Corinth,  two  miles  into  the  forest, 
where  she  found  the  men  kindling  fires  under  the 
large  iron  wash  kettles,  and  handling  the  clothes  with 
pitch-forks.  They  tossed  the  garments  about,  reveal- 
ing among  the  folds  dark  stains  of  crimson,  that  filled 
the  dusky  workmen  with  superstitious  dread.  Some 
were  carrying  water  from  the  stream  near  by,  and 
others  stirring  barrels  of  soft  soap  with  long  wooden 
ladles,  preparing  the  suds,  that  foamed  and  bubbled 
over  upon  the  grass.  On  the  arrival  of  their  mounted 
commander,  each  man  felt  a  thrill  of  pride  to  receive 
her  orders,  and  execute  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  win 
the  word  and  smile  of  approval  which  she  never  failed 
to  give,  when  they  were  deserved.  Neither  did  she 
spare  those  who  merited  b  lame,  and  they  all  knew 


BATTLE  AT  CORINTH.  61 

that  from  her  they  would  get  their  due.  Lines  were 
stretched  from  tree  to  tree,  and  soon  the  breezes  flut- 
tered through  a  thousand  pieces  of  fresh  white  linen, 
that  gathered  the  sweet  wood  scents  and  purity  from 
the  sunshine.  Like  a  thrifty  housewife,  she  had  the 
pieces  counted  and  carefully  folded  for  future  use. 
The  gleam  of  her  white  horse  often  appeared  through 
the  woods,  now  brilliant  with  the  autumnal  glory  of 
red  and  golden  leaves;  and  she  rode  through  the 
streets  watching  the  troops  that  came  pouring  into 
Corinth,  with  discerning  eyes.  She  made  all  things 
ready  for  the  battle  that  seemed  approaching. 

After  the  engagement  at  luka,  General  Grant  had 
taken  part  of  the  army  to  Jackson,  and  the  Confed- 
erate generals,  Van  Dorn  and  Price,  perceiving  the 
division  in  the  Union  forces,  undertook  to  recapture 
Corinth.  General  Rosecrans  defended  this  position 
with  an  army  twenty  thousand  strong.  On  the  3d 
of  October,  1862,  the  Federal  defenses  were  attacked 
and  a  battle  ensued,  which  lasted  for  two  days.  With 
the  first  sounds  of  strife,  the  ministers  of  mercy  at 
the  Academy  Hospital  were  prepared  to  receive  the 
wounded,  and  so  carefully  arranged  were  the  duties 
assigned  to  each  that  their  humane  work  could  be 
performed  with  astonishing  dispatch.  Their  power  to 
benefit  the  injured  was  increased  almost  twofold 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  had  done  her  work  so  thoroughly 
that  she  found  more  frequent  opportunities  to  follow 
the  progress  of  the  battle  here  than  at  any  place 
during  her  previous  experience.  She  said,  "From 
where  I  stood  I  could  see  the  6th  Wisconsin,  the 


62  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Chicago  Light  Infantry,  and  all  the  big  siege  guns. 
In  quick  succession  flashed  from  their  black  mouths 
broad  sheets  of  flame  and  smoke  which  obscured  the 
view,  while  the  air  seemed  to  quake  with  the  rolling 
peal  that  followed.  Then  the  smoke,  rising,  revealed 
the  artillerymen  preparing  with  rapid  motions  an- 
other charge.  The  infantry  were  all  a  mass  of  lines 
and  groups,  some  hurrying,  and  some  standing  in 
obedience  to  orders,  while  the  smoke  veiled  them 
here  and  there;  and  between  the  roar  of  the  cannonad- 
ing, their  ringing  cheers  and  shouts  could  be  heard 
with  the  sharp  rattle  of  musketry." 

"The  orders  to  the  Board  of  Trade  Regiment,  ad- 
vancing into  the  hottest  of  the  strife,  were,  '  Take 
aim,'  'Shoot  well,'  'Go  out  double  quick.'  As  they 
obeyed  with  steadfast  courage,  a  blinding  volley  of 
musketry  was  poured  upon  them,  and  men  fell,  killed 
and  wounded,  in  all  directions;  then  a  purple  cloud 
of  smoke  hid  the  startling  scene.  Just  before  engag- 
ing in  the  conflict,  these  valiant  soldiers  had  marched 
twenty-four  miles.  They  went  in  twelve  hundred 
strong,  and  came  out  four  hundred.  It  was  their  first 
engagement,  and  to  most  of  them,  their  last;  but  they 
obeyed  orders,  and  fell  upon  the  field  to  fill  soldiers' 
graves;  and  so  fulfilled  the  glorious  mission  of  the 
true  patriot." 

All  the  afternoon  the  battle  raged  fiercer  and  fiercer. 
Constantly  recruits  were  brought  up  to  take  the 
places  of  those  who  had  fallen,  and  the  air  reverber- 
ated with  one  continuous  roar.  Toward  evening 
when  the  sun  shone  red,  and  with  slanting  beams, 


WATCHING  THE  BATTLE.  63 

through  the  powder  smoke,  a  brigade  was  hurrying 
past,  and  Mrs.  Bickcrdyke  heard  that  they  had  been 
marching  with  all  possible  haste  since  noon.  They 
were  covered  with  dust,  and  their  youthful  faces  wore 
a  haggard  expression  from  the  heat  and  toil  of  travel. 
She  knew  that  they  were  about  to  join  the  conflict, 
hungry  and  tired,  and  was  determined  that  they  should 
have  something  to  eat  before  going  further.  The  offi- 
cer in  command  was  asked  to  allow  them  to  rest  for 
a  few  moments,  but  ne  refused.  Still  the  men  heard  a 
strong  voice  call,  "Halt"  as  they  were  passing  the 
Academy  Hospital.  The  welcome  order  thrilled 
through  the  ranks,  and  made  the  long  line  stop  be- 
fore any  one  could  consider  by  whom  the  command 
had  been  given;  it  would  have  been  almost  irresist- 
ible under  the  circumstances  if  they  had  known,  be- 
cause nature  appealed  so  strongly  in  behalf  of  the 
measure.  With  all  possible  dispatch,  each  man  was 
given  a  bowl  of  soup  or  coffee.  While  they  were 
drinking,  their  canteens  were  filled  with  water,  and  a 
loaf  of  bread  was  supplied  to  each.  Then  came  the 
order,  "  Forward  march,"  and  again  the  brigade  was 
in  motion.  Their  steps  were  lighter,  and  their  faces 
were  brightened.  Only  a  few  minutes  had  been  lost, 
and  these  were  of  no  importance  in  comparison  to 
the  added  courage  and  spirit  which  they  immediately 
manifested  in  consequence  of  this  much-needed  re- 
freshment. For  several  hours  they  had  been  march- 
ing, and  it  was  then  five  o'clock.  If  they  had  not 
stopped,  they  could  have  had  no  food  until  after  mid- 
night, when  the  tide  of  war  turned  in  favor  of  the 


64  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Federals.  It  was  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  who  had  cried 
halt,  and  had  given  the  soldiers  food  and  drink.  The 
story  of  this  heroic  act  gained  favor  among  them, 
and  from  that  time  after  they  called  her  the  "Gen- 
eral." Her  interference  in  their  behalf  was  more 
deeply  appreciated  because  many  of  the  men  died 
of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue  during  that  hard-fought 
battle. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  first  night  the  Confeder- 
ate artillery  began  to  shower  missiles  of  destruction 
almost  into  the  very  heart  of  Corinth.  The  great 
shells  exploded  in  the  streets,  and  some  fell  so  near 
the  Academy  Hospital  that  it  became  necessary  for 
its  occupants  to  move  to  different  quarters.  This  was 
a  difficult  task,  and  yet,  however  hazardous  it  might 
prove,  it  had  to  be  done.  The  surgeons  and  nurses 
with  their  attendants  went  about  the  work  coura- 
geously. Ambulances  conveyed  the  wounded  men  to 
a  sheltered  valley,  called  Kincaid's  Grove.  Here  a 
field  hospital  was  arranged,  and  most  of  the  eighteen 
hundred  men  who  were  brought  here  found  them- 
selves safely  and  comfortably  situated.  Few  were  in 
any  way  neglected  during  the  accomplishment  of 
this  difficult  task,  and  yet  there  was  something  left 
for  the  faithful  and  watchful  care  of  Mrs.  Bickerdykes 
While  the  hurried  work  of  pitching  the  tents  and  pre- 
paring the  cots  was  going  on,  a  young  musician,  who 
had  been  wounded  in  the  morning,  was  placed  with 
others  upon  the  ground,  until  more  suitable  quarter 
could  be  made  ready.  By  some  means  he  was  over- 
looked when  the  others  were  taken  away.  Being  too 


KINCAID'S  GROVE.  65 

weak  to  make  himself  heard  when  he  called  for  atten- 
tion, he  must  have  remained  there  the  rest  of  the 
night  if  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  had  not  made  a  final  round 
of  inspection  with  her  lantern  and  discovered  him- 
"Oh,  Mother  Bickerdyke!"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice 
like  that  of  a  frightened  child,  "I  am  so  glad  you 
found  me,  for  it  is  awfully  lonesome  here." 

The  morning  stars  twinkled  over  this  sequestered 
valley,  where  the  white  tents  among  the  pine  and 
hemlock  trees  were  secure  from  danger,  although 
shells  and  balls  were  flying  above  them.  These  me- 
teor-like missiles  fell  harmlessly  far  beyond  their  re- 
treat. They  all  remained  in  Kincaid's  Grove  until 
the  battle  was  ended;  but  before  that  time  their 
numbers  had  been  greatly  increased  by  the  addition 
of  wounded  soldiers  from  the  field,  and  when  the 
Confederate  army  beat  their  retreat,  they  were  obliged 
to  leave  many  of  their  sick  and  wounded  men  to  the 
benevolent  care  of  the  victorious  Federals. 

Soon  the  Academy  Hospital  re  -eived  again  those 
who  had  been  taken  out  of  it  that  perilous  night, 
and  besides,  others  who  claimed  its  shelter,  until  every 
cot  was  full.  Large  numbers  still  remained  unpro- 
vided for,  and  these  were  placed  in  tents  pitched 
upon  the  broad  lawns  about  the  building.  Here  and 
there,  all  over  the  slopes  which  were  now  withering 
from  neglect,  could  be  seen  the  furrows  that  had  been 
plowed  by  balls  and  shells,  as  they  sped  on  their 
courses  of  destruction.  Surgeons  and  nurses  found 
their  duties  increased  until  it  was  impossible  to  add 
anything  more.  Every  hour  of  the  day  and  night 
5 


66  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

found  tireless  feet  hurrying  upon  kindly  errands,  and 
yet  there  prevailed  the  discomfort  due  to  insufficient 
help  and  room.  In  the  tents  upon  the  lawns  the  pa- 
tients were  cared  for  by  men  employed  as  nurses,  and 
besides  their  necessary  ministrations,  which  were  per- 
formed hurriedly,  no  other  attention  was  paid  to 
them  except  the  visits  from  the  doctors. 

A  young  soklier,  William  Spinning,  who  belonged 
to  the  1st  Kansas  Cavalry,  was  placed  in  a  tent 
with  nearly  one  hundred  others  who  were  sick  with 
fever.  He  had  always  known  the  comforts  of  a  home, 
and  the  loving  care  of  a  mother,  in  the  sickness  or 
trials  which  heretofore  had  fallen  to  his  lot.  Besides, 
he  was  of  a  refined  and  studious  disposition,  which 
made  his  sufferings  under  the  present  circumstances 
more  difficult  to  endure.  For  weeks  he  lay  upon  his 
narrow  cot,  languishing  in  pain,  and  strove  to  main- 
tain the  courage  of  a  true  soldier.  He  was  young 
and  ambitious,  and  the  spirit  of  youth,  which  touches 
with  prismatic  colors  all  future  prospects,  kept  him 
hopeful  until  his  form  was  wasted,  and  his  strength 
was  almost  gone.  The  step  of  the  attendant  sounded 
heavily  upon  the  beaten  earth  that,  alone,  composed 
the  floor  of  the  tent,  as  he  came  through  the  en- 
trance at  one  end.  He  paused  to  pour  castor  oil 
from  a  large  bottle  into  an  iron  spoon,  and  then 
gave  it  to  the  occupant  of  the  nearest  cot.  Proceed- 
ing to  the  second,  he  gave  him  a  similar  dose,  and 
so  on  until  he  reached  the  last  one  in  the  row,  after 
which  he  returned  along  the  opposite  side.  How 
sickening  it  was  to  swallow  the  distasteful  medicine 


A  WOMAN'S  VOICE.  67 

from  such  a  spoon,  and  after  so  many  fever-parched 
lips  had  touched  it!  Is  it  any  wonder  that  so  many 
of  the  men  died  there  ?  The  poor  fellow  to  the  right, 
so  near  William  Spinning's  cot  that  he  had  often 
reached  over  the  intervening  space  to  help  arrange 
the  coverlids,  expired  one  night;  and  before  dawn  the 
bed  had  been  prepared  for  another,  who  was  placed 
in  it.  These  trying  scenes  at  last  made  the  young 
cavalryman  succumb  to  despondency,  and  to  lose  all 
desire  to  live.  When  the  man  at  his  left  hand  died, 
he  thought,  "  I  will  be  the  next  one  taken  out,  as 
wasted  and  ghastly  as  he  is  now."  He  refused 
to  swallow  the  sickening  dose  of  oil  when  it  was 
offered,  but  the  attendant  forced  it  down  his  throat, 
and  went  on. 

One  morning  he  heard  a  woman's  voice,  a  ringing, 
cheerful  voice  it  was,  and  the  sound  so  unfamiliar 
aroused  his  attention.  Turning  feebly  in  his  cot  he 
saw  the  figure  of  a  woman  standing  in  the  door  of 
the  tent,  against  the  background  of  sunlight.  Soon 
she  came  in,  making  inquiries  of  the  attendant  as  to 
the  condition  of  the  patients  under  his  charge,  and 
also  asking  them,  as  she  passed  along,  how  they  were, 
and  what  was  given  to  them.  Every  face  wore  a 
brightened  expression  as  she  proceeded,  and  she  took 
such  a  motherly  interest  in  them  that  each  one 
seemed  to  feel  as  though  some  dear  friend  or  rela- 
tive was  visiting  him.  William  Spinning  had  been 
anxious  to  see  her  when  she  first  entered,  and  this 
slight  excitement  heightened  his  fever  spell  so  that 
when  she  reached  him  his  thin  cheek,  mantled 


68  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

with  a  hectic  flush,  was  glowing  like  red  coral, 
and  his  large,  dark  eyes  glistened  with  a  feverish 
light.  His  hair  was  matted  and  damp,  and  the  veins 
in  his  temples  throbbed  visibly.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke 
understood  his  condition  at  a  glance,  and,  clasping 
his  hot  hand,  exclaimed,  "  My  poor  boy,  I  am  going 
to  do  something  for  you  myself." 

"  Hand  me  the  bay  rum,"  she  demanded  of  a  nurse, 
and,  seating  herself  upon  the  cot,  she  took  his  head 
in  her  lap  and  bathed  it  tenderly  with  the  fragrant 
spirits  from  the  decanter.  While  she  was  doing  this, 
she  talked  to  him  in  low,  cheerful  tones  about  his  fut- 
ure prospects,  and  told  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
live,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  those  who  cared  so  much 
for  him  at  home.  "  They  long  to  see  you  back 
again,  well  and  strong.  Indeed,  you  know  just 
how  glad  they  would  be  to  welcome  you;  so,  my 
brave  lad,  pluck  up  courage  and  get  out  of  this  dull 
tent  into  the  field  again.  The  old  flag  needs  you, 
and  we  all  need  the  aid  of  your  strong  arms,"  she 
concluded,  still  smoothing  his  brow  with  her  cool 
hands.  Tears  shone  in  his  eyes  while  he  listened;  and 
his  whole  frame  seemed  infused  with  new  life  and 
hope  as  she  made  him  realize  that  he  had  a  work  to 
do  which  would  be  prized  by  both  his  kindred  and 
his  country.  In  this  way  she  re-awakened  his  desire 
to  live,  and  revived  the  ambition  that  had  smoldered 
almost  into  ashes.  Before  she  left  him  his  face  wore 
a  changed  expression,  and  his  fever  was  much  sub- 
dued. He  expressed  his  gratitude  in  touching  words, 
and  besides,  as  she  went  away  from  the  tent,  she  was 
followed  by  blessings  from  every  sufferer  there. 


HER  POPULARITY.  69 

For  a  long  time  William  Spinning  lay  still,  conscious 
only  of  soothing  words  and  hopeful  thoughts,  until 
the  blessed  repose  of  natural  and  healthful  sleep  ban- 
ished, for  a  time,  all  consciousness.  Long  before,  he 
had  heard  of  Mother  Bickerdyke,  as  the  soldiers  were 
apt  to  call  her.  Then  he  was  vigorous  and  full  of 
spirits,  and  his  thoughts  dwelt  upon  his  uniform  and 
lively  horse,  and  upon  the  active  duties  which  lay  be- 
fore him,  although  the  crippled  soldier  who  came  to 
the  camp-fire  with  stories  of  her  courage  and  moth- 
erly care,  found  in  him  an  interested  and  sympathetic 
listener.  After  experiencing  the  bitterness  of  pain, 
and  the  wonderful  power  to  soothe  and  cheer,  which 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  possessed,  he  often  said,  gratefully, 
"  She  saved  my  life,  and  she  has  saved  numberless 
others  when  they  were  just  as  wretched  and  hopeless 
as  I  was  then." 

Her  name  became  popular  for  miles  around  every 
place  that  had  been  blessed  with  her  presence;  and, 
mounted  upon  her  white  horse,  she  passed  almost 
anywhere  within  the  Federal  lines  unquestioned;  for 
to  every  one  her  figure  and  the  nature  of  her  errands 
were  familiar.  The  last  time  that  William  Spinning 
saw  her  during  the  war,  was  under  memorable  cir- 
cumstances. He  was  recovering  slowly  from  his 
fever  when  the  hospital  was  moved  from  Corinth> 
and  in  the  disturbance  of  this  occasion  he,  among 
others,  chanced  to  be  left  fora  short  time  in  the  woods. 
Before  the  arrival  of  conveyances  to  take  them  away, 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  came  to  them  with  refreshments  and 
medicine.  She  found  the  young  man  whom  she  had 


70  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

helped  so  graciously  in  the  tent,  lying  beneath  a  tree, 
weak  and  languid.  The  autumn  air  was  sharp,  and 
the  ground  was  covered  with  damp  pine  needles  that 
served  him  for  a  bed.  "  She  treated  me  as  she  did 
the  others,"  said  he,  "  but  she  was  so  kind  to  us  all 
that  I  never  forgot  the  circumstance." 

In  a  few  moments  she  had  rendered  every  one  there 
more  comfortable  and  cheerful.  Probably  they  all 
remember  her  as  gratefully  as  Mr.  Spinning  does,  and 
at  the  mention  of  her  name,  recall  her  pleasant  voice 
and  motherly  care,  which  proved  as  refreshing  as  they 
were  unexpected  in  those  lonely  woods.  She  always 
went  like  some  beneficent  spirit  into  the  most  dismal 
and  sequestered  nooks.  Her  noble  nature  could  not 
brook  neglect  of  the  obscure  and  helpless.  Such  as 
these  aroused  all  of  her  strongest  feelings,  and  she 
sought  them  out  constantly,  as  the  objects  of  her 
special  attention.  An  appeal  from  the  weak  or  young 
was  perfectly  irresistible  to  her.  Because  the  officers 
received  more  pay  than  the  privates,  and  usually  were 
better  able  to  help  themselves  in  times  of  sickness, 
she  devoted  herself  more  particularly  to  the  common 
soldiers.  Not  the  least  distinction  did  she  ever  make 
between  them,  on  account  of  their  positions  in  the 
army,  when  they  were  under  her  charge.  She 
guarded  like  a  sentinel  the  sanitary  stores,  and  was 
implacable  in  her  resentment,  if  she  found  any  of 
them  misappropriated.  When  instances  of  this  kind 
were  discovered,  she  dealt  very  summarily  with  the 
offenders,  and  made  such  an  example  of  them  that 
their  selfishness  was  seldom  imitated.  Incidents  of 


A  TRIP  TO  GALESBURG.  71 

this  sort  never  took  her  from  her  post  of  duty.  Usu- 
ally she  reported  such  miscreants  directly  to  head- 
quarters. She  had  no  fear  of  their  enmity,  and  no 
matter  how  powerful  such  persons  might  be,  she  never 
overlooked  anything  from  motives  of  policy. 

For  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  Mrs.  Bickerdyke 
had  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  war  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  up  the  Tennessee  Rivers,  doing  work  as 
useful  as  any  performed  by  the  men  who  carried  mus- 
kets, before  she  thought  of  taking  any  rest  or  change. 
Although  she  was  so  full  of  endurance  and  self-reli- 
ance, her  influence  was  in  every  way  that  of  a  true, 
noble  woman,  and  carried  something  of  the  atmos- 
phere of  home  into  the  hospital  and  field.  Not  for  a 
day  in  all  that  time  had  she  relaxed  her  efforts  to  do 
thoroughly  every  duty  that  lay  in  her  path;  and  by 
reason  of  her  superb  strength,  both  physical  and 
mental,  she  had  succeeded  wonderfully  well.  The 
simple,  childish  letters  that  had  come  from  her  little 
boys,  at  intervals,  were  to  her  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  pride.  Now  she  concluded  to  take  a  trip  back 
to  Galesburg  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  them,  and  of 
obtaining  a  much-needed  rest  and  change.  Besides, 
she  desired  to  know  that  they  were  advantageously  sit- 
uated. After  all  those  trying  and  exciting  scenes 
through  which  she  had  so  recently  passed,  it  was  a 
delicious  sensation  to  be  at  home  once  more,  and  with 
the  children  that  she  so  fondly  loved.  The  well- 
known  streets,  and  the  dear,  familiar  faces  were  wel- 
comed again  with  feelings  which  must  have  been  like 
those  of  a  soldier  on  his  return  home,  after  having 


72  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

escaped  the  perils  of  disease  and  warfare.  By  the 
bright,  crackling  blaze  in  the  fire-place,  she  told  to  in- 
terested listeners  the  tales  of  army  life,  that  are  so 
thrilling  when  they  are  gleaned  from  experience. 
The  snow-flakes  whirled  gleefully  about  the  eaves,  as 
if  wild  with  delight.  They  made  the  summer  and 
autumn  retreat  farther  and  farther  southward,  until  the 
whole  plains  were  white  with  their  uniforms.  Re- 
ceiving people  who  came  to  make  inquiries  about 
their  absent  dear  ones,  was  here  one  of  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke's  daily  occupations.  In  her  active  life,  she  had 
met  not  a  few  of  them,  and  whether  her  news  was 
such  as  to  give  pleasure  or  pain,  she  was  always  kind 
and  sympathetic.  She  had  to  deliver  many  of  those 
messages  and  tokens,  sent  by  soldiers,  who  had  died, 
to  their  friends.  Such  remembrances  always  cause 
heartaches,  even  if  they  are  a  melancholy  solace  to 
those  who  receive  them.  Protected  by  thick  wraps> 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  made  her  way  over  the  snowy  walks 
to  many  a  dwelling,  where  she  knew  her  errand  would 
make  tears  flow;  yet  even  from  such  duties  as  these 
she  never  shrank,  but  went  to  those  who  were  mourn- 
ing at  the  hearth-side  as  readily  as  to  the  field.  Here, 
too,  her  courage  and  tenderness  were  just  as  welcome. 
She  said  that  she  was  always  lucky  in  finding  these 
places.  It  is  not  remarkable  that  she  seemed  fortu- 
nate in  this  respect,  because  she  held  such  missions 
sacred,  and  bent  all  of  her  powerful  energies  to  fulfill 
them  to  her  own  satisfaction.  She  would  clasp  her 
arms  about  some  sobbing  woman,  and,  holding  before 
her  tearful  eyes  the  little  picture,  or  other  token,  tell 


HOLIDAY  GIFTS.  73 

her  how  her  soldier  boy,  or  husband,  or  lover  died 
bravely  and  willingly  for  the  glorious  old  flag.  Re- 
calling their  parting,  when  feelings  of  patriotism  rose 
high,  she  rspeated  the  last  words  with  which  she  was 
intrusted,  and  which  always  glowed  with  love  for  the 
dear  ones  at  home  and  for  the  land. 

Besides,  she  was  self-commissioned  with  pleasanter 
work,  which  was  also  more  suited  to  her  lively  dispo- 
sition. She  had  been  to  the  front,  and  knew  what 
gifts  were  of  the  most  benefit  to  the  brave  men  there. 
Committees  from  aid  societies,  and  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  soldiers  came  flocking  to  her  for  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  what  she  could  tell  so  well  concern- 
ing these  things  Her  resolve  was  to  do  all  that  she 
could  to  encourage  and  stimulate  them  to  exertions 
which  she  knew  were  truly  charitable  as  well  as  pa- 
triotic. In  this  her  usual  good  fortune  attended  her, 
and  Galesburg  was  enlivened  by  many  successful  so- 
ciables and  fairs  held  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
money  and  all  kinds  of  useful  articles  to  be  sent  to 
the  Sanitary  Commission  at  Chicago. 

Advantage  was  taken  of  the  holidays,  which  are 
always  observed  with  festivities,  to  secure  gifts  for  the 
soldiers.  This  proved  no  difficult  task,  as  so  many 
families  missed  from  their  circles  a  member  who  had 
joined  the  volunteers,  and  thoughts  of  the  war  were 
constantly  with  them.  Patriotic  expressions  appeared 
in  every  feature  of  social  life  and  religious  worship. 
Even  the  children  awoke  Christmas  morning  to  find 
gifts  of  toy  drums  and  swords,  or  whole  regiments  of 
wooden  soldiers.  The  clatter  of  their  mimic  arms 


74  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

blended  with  the  pealing  of  bells  that  proclaimed  as 
usual  from  the  church  towers,  "  Peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  toward  men." 

The  parlors  of  the  quaint  little  church,  which  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  attended  in  Galesburg,  were  the  scene  of 
many  entertainments  given  to  benefit  the  soldiers. 

See  yonder  a  bevy  of  girls  filling  a  box  with  all 
sorts  of  useful  things  for  them.  One  of  the  merriest 
contributes  a  bundle  of  socks,  with  an  audacious  little 
note  pinned  into  a  toe  of  each  pair.  Another,  scarcely 
more  serious,  excuses  the  needle-work  upon  a  couple 
of  shirts  which  she  has  made,  by  saying  that  she  can 
make  better  bread  than  button-holes,  and  asking  the 
soldier  who  may  chance  to  wear  the  shirts  to  come 
and  see  for  himself,  when  the  war  is  over,  if  he  is  not 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  a  wife.  They  chatter  among 
themselves,  as  girls  always  do  when  together,  and 
little  speeches,  half  witty  or  comical,  and  half  in 
earnest,  flow  uninterrupted  by  their  occupation. 

"  We  put  up  a  lot  of  chickens  to  send,"  remarked 
one,  "  but  Mother  Bickerdyke  says  they  are  better  kept 
at  home,  because  such  things  arc  likely  to  spoil  on 
the  way."  "  But  here  are  a  lot  of  dried  plums  to 
make  sauce  of,  and  a  pair  of  slippers."  Perhaps 
upon  something  packed  away  by  this  merry  group, 
tears  had  fallen  from  the  loveliest  eyes,  as  it  was  be- 
ing finished  at  some  lonely  evening  hour.  What  heart- 
aches many  of  them  endured,  because  of  the  absent 
ones  who  were  so  fondly  loved. 

It  was  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  privilege  to  distribute 
the  contents  of  countless  boxes  sent  by  such  girls  as 


MIDNIGHT.  75 

these  to  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  from  thence  to 
the  hospitals.  She  witnessed  occurrences  of  the 
most  pathetic  nature,  as  well  as  scenes  of  merriment, 
and  romantic  incidents  occasioned  by  their  random 
gifts  and  missives. 

Midwinter  reigned  over  the  whitened  earth,  and  the 
air  was  sharp  with  cold.  Those  dauntless  little  con- 
querors, the  snow-flakes,  gained  supremacy  over  the 
weather,  but  they  had  no  power  to  stay  the  march  of 
war.  During  all  of  these  inclement  months  the 
soldiers  never  relaxed  the  struggle  for  victory.  The 
holidays  had  not  found  the  larger  portion  of  the 
Union  forces  snugly  settled  in  winter  quarters,  and 
enjoying  impromptu  feasts  around  the  roaring  camp- 
fires,  as  they  had  last  year.  Then,  when  not  on  duty, 
their  time  had  been  spent  in  pleasant  occupations. 
To  them  the  huts  and  tents  had  quite  a  homelike  air, 
after  they  had  been  occupied  for  a  few  weeks.  About 
the  walls  upon  pegs  hung  their  muskets  and  other 
equipments,  and  empty  boxes  and  barrels  as  well  as 
roughly  hewn  logs,  formed  their  furniture.  Some 
spent  the  days  and  long  evenings  carving  in  wood, 
while  others  played  cards  or  chess.  The  musicians, 
too,  contributed  a  good  share  to  their  simple  enjoy- 
ments, and  many  a  lively  tune  and  merry  song  cheered 
the  winter  days. 

But  now,  instead  of  all  these  comforts  and  amuse- 
ments, they  were  ordered  upon  long  marches  over 
muddy  roads,  and  through  marshy  swamps.  Often 
the  rain  poured  upon  them  all  day,  and  at  night  they 
slept  in  their  wet  garments,  sheltered  only  by  tents 


76  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

pitched  upon  the  storm-beaten  earth.  The  exposure, 
and  scanty  rations  meted  out  to  them,  made  sickness 
and  death  their  constant  companions.  News  of  these 
sufferings  reached  their  friends  and  kindred  in  the 
North,  and  filled  them  with  gloom.  Owing  to  the 
storms  and  the  rapid  movements  of  the  several  com- 
mands, it  was  very  difficult  to  effect  communication 
between  them  and  those  who  were  anxious  to  give 
them  aid.  Nurses  and  surgeons  went  South  con- 
stantly to  the  hospitals,  and  many  anxious  wives  and 
mothers  would  have  been  glad  to  go  if  it  had  been 
possible.  Home,  which  is  the  most  delightful  of  all 
places  the  earth  contains,  is  rendered  incomparably 
dismal  when  bereft  of  those  who  give  to  it  the  charm 
that  makes  it  seem  enchanted. 

Countless  numbers  of  the  soldiers  broke  this  spell 
of  happiness  when  they  went  to  the  war;  and  now 
that  they  needed  the  love  and  care  which  they  had 
left,  every  patriotic  heart  yearned  to  supply  their 
wants.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  with  her  rich  experience 
and  fine  capabilities,  hastened  to  those  scenes  where 
she  could  be  of  such  benefit  to  her  people  and  her 
country. 


n?. 


MEMPHIS — IMMENSE  LAUNDRIES — "THE  BOYS  WHO  FOLLOW  THE 
FLAG" — FRIGHTFUL  SUFFERINGS  AT  FORT  PICKERING — THE 
GAYOSO  BLOCK  HOSPITAL — OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS — THE 
"  Cow  AND  HEN  MISSION  " — A  SOLDIER'S  WEDDING — VICKS- 
BURG — HOSPITAL  TENTS — LITTLE  TREASURES — THE  FALL  OF 
VICKSBURG — AN  AMUSING  INCIDENT — PREPARING  FOR  THE 
AUTUMN  CAMPAIGN. 


'URING  the  war  Memphis  was  selected 
as  a  center  for  military  headquarters 
and  hospitals.  The  grand  Mississippi, 
that  wound  along  its  outskirts,  afforded^ 
a  direct  highway  northward,  where  the 
people  were  anxious  to  aid  and  encour- 
age the  army  by  all  means  in  their 
power;  and  from  Memphis  it  flowed 
into  the  very  battle-fields.  Steamers 
came  puffing  down  upon  its  turbid  waters,  loaded  with 
recruits,  and  all  manner  of  stores;  and  they  bore  up 
from  the  South  thousands  of  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers, who  had  become  disabled  amid  the  scenes  of 
suffering  and  carnage  at  the  front  of  war.  Tents 
clustered  about  the  suburbs  of  the  town  among  man- 

(77) 


78       .  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

sions  from  which  the  owners  had  sent  their  families 
into  distant  cities,  and  joined  either  the  Federal  or 
Confederate  forces.  Men  in  uniform  were  seen  upon 
the  emerald  lawns,  instead  of  merry  children  and  fair 
women.  No  sounds  came  echoing  among  the  lofty 
trees  from  the  school  bells  and  church  bells,  for  the 
teachers  of  science  and  religion  had  gone  to  labor  in 
less  peaceful  scenes.  In  the  city,  stores  and  ware- 
houses were  no  longer  filled  with  the  noise  and  hum 
of  business;  but  instead,  the  haunts  of  traffic  were 
appropriated  for  barracks  and  hospitals,  and  daily 
the  streets  were  filled  with  the  sounds  of  marching 
feet  and  martial  music. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  arrived  here  early  in  January, 
1863.  The  incessant  storms  gave  everything  a  chill 
and  drenched  appearance,  while  the  work  for  such  as 
she  was  overwhelming  both  in  amount  and  in  its 
nature;  and  yet  the  dismal  skies  and  heavy  tasks  had 
no  power  to  affect  her  courage  and  sunny  disposition- 
he  bsgan  the  first  work  that  was  offered  to  her  with 
resolution.  This  was  the  preparation  of  the  Adams' 
Block  Hospital,  which  occupied  a  whole  square  of 
new  brick  buildings  designed  for  stores.  In  this  her 
assistance  was  of  much  value.  Nine  hundred  cots 
were  placed  in  rows  about  the  lofty  chambers,  and 
made  comfortable,  as  well  as  pleasing  in  appearance, 
by  their  snow-white  pillows  and  counterpanes.  These 
were  for  the  soldiers  wounded  in  the  recent  battles, 
and  who  were  expected  as  soon  as  they  could  be 
moved  from  the  field  hospitals  and  barges  where  they 
had  been  placed  immediately  after  being  hurt.  Ac- 


MEMPHIS.  79 

commodations  were  arranged  for  six  thousand  men; 
and  besides,  there  were  a  number  of  hospitals  already 
established  in  Memphis.  The  medical  director  and 
the  medical  inspector  authorized  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  to 
visit  many  of  the  latter  and  improve  them,  as  they 
were  not  in  as  good  a  condition  as  they  should  have 
been.  Her  influence  in  these  places  was  shown  par- 
ticularly by  their  extra  cleanliness  in  all  respects. 
Immense  supplies  of  linen  were  needed  for  the  dis- 
abled soldiers,  and  she  went  energetically  to  work, 
establishing  a  laundry  large  enough  to  meet  the  de- 
mand. She  did  this,  besides  attending  faithfully  to 
the  duties  which  she  had  previously  assumed.  The 
wholesome  effect  of  fresh  linen  she  estimated  at  its 
full  value.  By  means  of  her  own  exertions  and  in- 
fluence, she  made  it  possible  for  every  hospital  in 
Memphis  to  enjoy  an  unlimited  supply  of  clean  cloth- 
ing and  bedding,  which  were  as  important  as  care 
and  medicine,  to  promote  comfort  and  the  return  of 
health. 

Day  after  day,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  occupied  with 
these  humane  pursuits,  going  and  coming  always 
with  a  firm  step  and  cheerful  face.  The  storms  of 
that  remarkable  winter  kept  the  heavens  overcast 
with  rain  clouds,  and  swelled  the  volume  of  the  great 
Mississippi  far  beyond  its  banks.  The  Union  forces, 
unwilling  to  relinquish  an  inch  of  the  territory  that 
they  had  so  dearly  won,  steadfastly  held  their  ground, 
or  kept  pushing  southward  amid  dismal  swamps  and 
marshes,  where  the  air  was  humid  with  malaria;  and 
hunger  and  cold  pursued  them  like  wolves.  With 


80  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

valiant  hearts  they  pressed  on,  having  but  a  single 
goal  in  view,  and  that  the  crown  of  victory.  Their 
patriotism  scorned  the  fury  of  the  tempest  and  the 
power  of  even  the  most  insufferable  privations,  as 
well  as  the  Confederate  shot  and  shell.  These  hard- 
ships were  endured  with  such  fortitude  as  to  prove 
every  soldier  a  hero.  The  tattered  uniform  and  the 
wasted  cheek  may  call  for  pity,  but  the  ringing  voice 
and  kindling  glance  reveal  the  will  and  valor  that  rise 
supreme  above  every  trial  of  war,  and  compel  the 
homage  due  to  the  conqueror. 

Though  their  physical  strength  gave  way  under 
these  circumstances,  their  spirits  were  unsubdued. 
Men  constantly  fell  in  the  ranks  from  exhaustion, 
and  these  were  taken  northward  to  Memphis  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  shrill  scream  of  the  hospital  fleet 
whistles  announ  red  their  arrival  every  day.  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  cared  for  these  wfth  more  than  her  usual 
tenderness,  because  she  realized  how  they  had  hun- 
gered for  a  word  of  sympathy  and  interest,  as  well  as 
for  the  necessaries  of  life.  Her  manner  of  express- 
ing the  deep  feelings  which  she  entertained  for  them 
was  most  admirable.  It  was  not  natural  for  her  to 
bend  over  a  sufferer's  cot  with  dewy  lashes,  and 
breathe,  in  cooing  tones,  expressions  of  sorrow  for 
his  pain,  and  admiration  for  his  fortitude.  Her  prac- 
tical disposition  made  her  appreciate  more  keenly  the 
necessities  of  the  present  and  future,  than  the  trials  of 
the  past.  Cheerful  smiles  and  encouraging  words 
made  her  presence  always  welcome.  Besides,  she 
never  came  but  for  a  purpose,  her  hands  being  ever 


&ARE  TACT.  8l 

full  of  gifts  or  busy  at  some  task.  When  she  had 
extra  or  special  stores  to  distribute,  her  devotion  to 
the  soldiers  made  her  joy  almost  equal  to  their  own, 
and  she  gave  them  in  a  most  noble  and  unselfish  way. 

"  Here  is  something  that  the  folks  at  home  have 
sent  to  you,"  she  would  say.  Then  her  pleasant 
voice  would  ring  out  assuringly,  "You  need  never  fear 
that  they  are  forgetting  the  boys  who  follow  the  flag." 
With  sentences  like  these  she  soon  obtained  the 
whole  story  of  the  soldier's  home-life,  in  the  telling 
of  which  he  forgot  his  own  trials,  and  accepted  the 
garment  or  food  which  she  had  brought,  feeling  as 
though  it  had  come  from  the  loving  hands  of  his 
own  wife  or  mother.  Whatever  was  in  her  power  to 
bestow  was  given  so  heartily  and  cheerfully  that  it 
always  possessed  a  greater  value  in  the  eyes  of  its  re- 
cipient than  it  would  have  otherwise.  It  was  true 
maternal  sympathy  for  the  soldiers  that  made  her  ca- 
pable of  touching  each  one's  heart  in  this  remark- 
able way,  and  made  many  a  manly  voice  call  her 
"  mother,"  in  tones  as  gentle  as  though  he  had  really 
addressed  his  own  mother. 

Upon  the  magnolias,  great  buds  began  to  swell 
and  burst  their  waxen  calyxes  with  rich  hues  of  rose 
color,  and  the  southern  pines  and  cedars  flaunted  new 
fringes  of  pale  green  upon  their  somber  robes.  Earth 
was  awakening  again  to  the  life  and  beauty  of  spring- 
time. Sunlight  touched  with  edges  of  gold  the  out- 
lines of  every  spray  and  flower,  and  the  birds  twit- 
tered to  each  other  the  secrets  of  their  hidden  nests 
and  the  pearl-like  treasures  within  them.  Nature 
6 


82  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

seemed  trying  to  make  amends  for  the  seventy  of 
the  winter,  by  lavishing  everywhere  her  rarest  charms. 

While  sunbeams  came  through  the  open  window 
with  dancing  zephyrs,  perfumed  from  the  verdant 
hills,  it  seemed  difficult  to  realize  that  they  lingered 
upon  men  racked  with  disease  and  burning  with  fe- 
verish pain;  that  Death,  with  his  hollow  eyes  and 
emaciated  figure,  was  personified  by  tortured  and 
helpless  beings  to  whom  there  came  no  ministering 
hand.  Yet  Doctor  Irvin,  the  medical  director  at 
Memphis,  went  to  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  one  morning  to 
consult  with  her  about  such  a  scene  as  this.  It  was 
the  small-pox  hospital,  called  Fort  Pickering,  which 
had  relapsed  into  so  dreadful  a  condition  that  no 
help  could  be  obtained  for  the  purpose  of  renovating 
it.  "Nine  men  lie  within  its  walls  awaiting  burial, 
and  more  are  dying,"  he  concluded.  % 

When  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  volunteered  to  go  herself, 
the  doctor  was  startled  by  her  intrepidity.  He  ob- 
jected, also,  because  of  her  great  usefulness  where  she 
then  was,  and  said  that  she  could  not  be  spared  from 
her  present  duties.  However,  her  noble  soul  was  en- 
lidcst  in  the  cause  of  their  release  from  so  terrible  a 
situation,  and  she  could  not  be  dissuaded  from  her 
purpose.  What  unprecedented  courage  must  have 
been  exercised  to  make  a  woman  willing  to  under- 
take so  revolting  a  task!  The  place  was  the  abode 
of  an  infectious  disease  that  had  almost  turned  it 
into  a  charnel-house,  and  the  very  air  within  its  walls 
was  poison.  Her  heroic  conduct  on  this  occasion 
proved  her  to  be  perfectly  fearless,  and  oblivious  to 


FORT  PICKERING.  83 

those  natural  desires  which  make  personal  ease  and 
luxury  so  ardently  sought  She  realized  only  that 
her  country's  sons  were  dying  for  want  of  care,  and 
she  turned  to  them  with  the  unfailing  devotion  of  a 
true  mother,  that  has  scarcely  a  parallel.  Indeed, 
the  strength  and  wisdom  which  her  success  here 
proved  her  to  possess  beyond  question,  excite  scarcely 
less  admiration  than  her  unbounded  charity. 

All  ordinary  methods  of  cleansing  and  renovating 
a  hospital  were  in  vain  here.  The  place  had  to  be 
reorganized  in  almost  every  respect.  The  taint  and 
venom  of  all  foulness  that  had  found  a  lodgment  in  those 
dingy  wards,  where  sounded  the  groans  of  pain  and 
despair,  fled  before  her  presence  as  the  vampire  takes 
flight  at  the  approach  of  dawn.  Within  a  few  days 
after  she  entered,  this  place  could  scarcely  be  recog- 
nized as  the  one  put  under  her  charge.  A  clean  and 
airy  appearance  soon  distinguished  all  of  the  apart- 
ments. In  them  suitable  and  appetizing  food  was 
served,  while  method  and  order  were  apparent  in  every 
detail  of  the  arrangements  and  work  of  the  entire 
place.  The  blessings  of  temporal  comforts,  and 
woman's  gentle  services,  were  to  those  sufferers  what 
food  is  to  the  famishing.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  willing 
hands  brought  to  them  the  elixir  of  life,  and  to  each 
one  the  precious  nectar  was  given  without  stint  or 
measure. 

Heaven  spared  the  soldiers'  mother,  and  she  came 
from  those  shunned  hospital  doors,  strong  and  un- 
contaminated  by  the  dreadful  contagion  which  she 
had  banished.  No  scars  marred  her  benign  counte- 


84  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

nance,  to  remind  those  who  looked  upon  it  of  her 
faithful  love  and  dauntless  courage.  After  having 
endured  the  hardships  and  shared  the  exile  of  those 
forsaken  sufferers,  she  was  wholly  free  again  to  enjoy 
the  pursuit  of  her  benevolent  work.  As  she  resumed 
her  former  active  occupations,  how  pleasant  must 
have  appeared  the  quiet  mansions  surrounded  by 
their  green  lawns,  the  bright  flower  plots,  above  which 
bloomed  the  queenly  magnolias,  and  even  the  rest- 
less throngs  of  life  that  poured  in  and  out  of  the  city. 

Her  hazardoustask  being  accomplished, she  immedi- 
ately assumed  the  position  of  matron  in  the  Gayoso 
Block  Hospital.  About  six  hundred  men,  who  had 
been  wounded  at  Arkansas  Post,  were  placed  in  the 
wards  here;  and  they  were  fortunate,  because  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  made  this  the  most  home-like  and 
comfortable  place  that  they  could  have  occupied  in 
Memphis.  It  also  had  the  advantage  of  being  fur- 
nished with  all  of  the  appliances  which  should  be 
found  in  such  an  institution.  A  short  season  of 
peace  and  order  characterized  the  time  which  was 
spent  here.  Though  men  arrived  each  day  to  fill  the 
vacant  cots,  until  over  one  thousand  had  assembled 
under  the  roof  of  this  hospital,  everything  was  done 
in  the  most  approved  way,  and  many  a  patient  ac- 
knowledged his  appreciation  of  his  good  fortune  by 
saying  that  even  in  his  own  home  he  would  not  have 
been  cared  for  more  tenderly  or  efficiently. 

This  orderly  and  well-kept  place  was  no  more  bar- 
ren of  incidents  than  were  the  field  hospitals.  Some- 
times a  woman  made  her  appearance  inquiring  for 


GAYOSO  BLOCK  HOSPITAL.  85 

her  wounded  son  or  husband,  and  she  generally  re- 
mained until  the  soldier  whom  she  came  to  benefit 
could  be  sent  home  with  her.  These  women  always 
remembered  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  with  grateful  hearts, 
and  pressed  upon  her  invitations  to  visit  their  homes, 
besides  showing  other  marks  of  gratitude.  A  mother 
kneeling  by  the  cot  of  her  son,  who  was  scarcely 
more  than  a  boy,  being  only  seventeen  years  old,  said, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes,  "  It  is  no  wonder  that  you  are 
called  mother  here,  for  you  treat  these  men  every 
one  with  so  much  kindness  and  patience.  I  owe  to 
you  the  preservation  of  my  darling's  life.  Oh!  it 
would  have  broken  my  heart  if  I  had  found  him 
dead."  With  the  thought  she  burst  into  a  passion  of 
sobs,  and  buried  her  face  in  the  white  pillow,  upon 
which  her  son's  head  lay.  He  smoothed  her  silver 
hair  gently  with  his  one  hand,  for  he  had  lost  the 
other,  and  consoled  her  with  words  of  filial  affection- 
Scenes  of  this  kind  were  frequent,  and  yet  they 
always  filled  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  with  feelings  for  which 
she  could  find  no  expression. 

Her  services  were  devoted  especially  to  the  private 
soldiers.  Officers  who  chanced  to  need  them,  were 
never  distinguished  by  extra  attentions  on  account  of 
their  positions.  She  quaintly  describes  her  own  con- 
duct in  this  respect,  by  remarking,  "  I  always  treated 
an  officer  as  well  as  a  private,  and  if  he  put  on  airs, 
it  did  not  make  any  difference  either.  He  was  served 
in  turn  with  the  others,  just  like  any  soldier."  She 
sometimes  met  with  opposition  from  the  officers  whose 
duties  were  connected  with  the  hospitals.  The  prin- 


86  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

cipal  reasons  for  this  were,  her  dislike  of  the  formality 
and  restraint  which  they  often  considered  necessary 
to  military  discipline,  and  her  habit  of  criticising  their 
actions,  if  they  did  not  reach  the  standard  of  her  ap- 
proval. To  all  who  were  in  any  way  dishonest,  or 
incompetent  to  fill  their  positions,  she  was  the  neme- 
sis who  pursued  them  relentlessly.  Her  object  was 
to  benefit  the  soldiers,  and  she  would  not  countenance 
for  a  moment  anything  to  their  disadvantage.  Fre- 
quently those  who  disliked  her  at  first,  being  preju- 
diced by  her  independent  and  confident  bearing,  be- 
came, on  further  acquaintance,  her  most  sincere 
friends,  appreciating  keenly  her  efficiency  and  impor- 
tance in  the  work  that  was  of  mutual  interest. 

Col.  W.  W.  Jackson,  of  General  Hurlburt's  staff, 
relates  an  incident  that  illustrates  the  confidence  that 
was  placed  in  her  judgment  by  those  in  authority. 
Several  hundred  negroes  were  employed  to  labor  in 
the  hospitals.  These  were  runaway  slaves  from  the 
southern  plantations,  who  had  gathered  at  Memphis 
in  large  numbers.  For  the  most  part  they  were  poor 
creatures,  half-clad  and  half-starved,  having  been  sev- 
eral weeks  in  the  swamps  and  waste  lands,  while  elud- 
ing their  pursuers.  Some  were  bright,  well-trained 
fellows,  possessing  enough  energy  to  make  themselves 
useful  to  the  people  to  whom  they  had  fled  for  pro- 
tection; and  many  of  them  rendered  valuable  services 
in  the  hospitals  and  laundries.  One  of  the  surgeons 
of  the  regular  army,  ordered  all  of  these  colored  em- 
ploye's to  be  discharged;  at  the  same  time  directing 
that  their  duties  should  be  performed  by  convalescents. 


PROTECTING  THE  CONVALESCENTS.  87 

This  course  provoked  a  remonstrance  from  Mrs.  Bick- 
erdyke,  whose  sympathies  were  thoroughly  interested 
in  behalf  of  the  soldiers.  She  could  not  endure  to 
see  those  who  had  just  risen  from  beds  of  suffering, 
many  of  them  having  narrowly  escaped  death,  en- 
gaged in  work  that  required  not  only  much  physical 
strength,  but  also  nervous  force  and  endurance. 
These  men  were  emaciated,  and  weak  from  pain. 
Many  of  them  were  so  anxious  to  rejoin  their  regi- 
ments that  everything  which  delayed  the  return  of 
health  was  doubly  hard  to  bear,  since  the  enthusiastic 
spirit,  as  well  as  the  enfeebled  frame,  was  tortured. 
When  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  heard  that  men  like  these 
were  ordered  to  perform  such  hard  and  wearing  labor, 
a  host  of  their  pale  faces  rose  before  her  imagination, 
impelling  her  to  do  something  to  prevent  such  a 
calamity  from  falling  upon  them;  and  her  generous 
impulse  brooked  no  delay. 

This  occurred  late  in  the  evening.  The  rain  was 
pouring  outside  and  the  streets  were  covered  with 
mud,  and  only  half  illuminated  by  the  flickering  lights 
that  seemed  to  be  blinking  through  their  spattered 
and  dripping  glasses.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  looked  out 
upon  this  forbidding  scene,  yet  it  did  not  cause  her  to 
hesitate. 

She  ordered  a  conveyance,  and  was  soon  at  head- 
quarters, where  General  Hurlburt,  who  was  in  com- 
mand at  Memphis,  received  her  cordially,  and  gave 
her  a  written  authorization  to  retain  the  services 
of  the  negroes,  who  were  employed  in  the  hospitals; 
and  directing  the  surgeons  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
carry  out  her  wishes. 


88  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Those  officers,  who  were  notably  considerate  of 
their  men,  awakened  enthusiastic  admiration  in  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke.  "They  were  grand,"  she  once  exclaimed. 
"  Usually  they  shared  all  the  privations  of  the  sol- 
diers, and  I  have  seen  them  as  hungry  and  dusty  and 
tired  as  any  private  in  the  ranks.  One  evening  I 
offered  a  colonel  a  delicious  cup  of  tea,  when  he  was 
almost  overcome  with  fatigue.  He  waved  it  away 
and,  pointing  to  a  cot  near  by,  said  '  Give  it  to  the 
lad.  He  needs  it  more.'  The  young  man  designated 
had  been  suffering  for  a  long  time,  and  his  extreme 
thinness  and  pallor  must  have  attracted  the  colonel's 
notice." 

The  higher  officers,  who  had  an  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve her  work  and  become  acquainted  with  her,  al- 
ways appreciated  thoroughly  the  great  services  she 
rendered  the  army.  Generals  Grant,  Sherman,  and 
Logan  were  impressed  with  her  admirable  character, 
and  showed  their  confidence  by  allowing  great  latitude 
in  the  pursuit  of  her  labors  for  the  soldiers. 

While  the  military  movements  in  the  vicinity  of 
Vicksburg  were  taking  place,  men  arrived  constantly 
at  Memphis  from  those  scenes,  disa'bled  from  expos- 
ure and  hardships,  or  from  wounds  received  in  the 
various  engagements  with  the  Confederates.  The 
rivers  and  bayous  were  swollen  so  much  that  the 
swamp  lands,  through  which  the  soldiers  marched, 
were  often  submerged  to  a  depth  of  several  feet. 
The  Federals  suffered  many  hardships  in  their  at- 
tempts to  reach  a  point  from  which  Vicksburg  could 
be  attacked  advantageously.  Even  General  Sherman 


THE  Cow  AND  HEN  MISSION.  89 

led  his  men  on  foot  through  dense  cane  brakes  in  the 
darkness  of  night,  with  only  the  flickering  rays  of 
candles  to  guide  them. 

The  commodious  hospitals  in  Memphis  had  not 
been  prepared  in  vain,  for  about  eleven  thousand  sol- 
diers were  provided  for  within  them.  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  visited  the  different  institutions  frequently,  be- 
sides performing  her  duties  as  matron  of  the  Gayoso 
Hospital.  Her  experience  as  a  housewife  had  made 
her  familiar  with  the  principles  of  economy,  and  here 
she  was  always  planning  to  give  the  patients  more  and 
better  food  and  care  with  the  means  at  hand,  than 
were  already  provided.  Fresh  milk  and  eggs  were 
supplied  in  scant  quantities,  and  were  poor  in  quality. 
Besides,  the  prices  were  extremely  high.  She  declared 
that  it  was  perfect  nonsense  to  give  forty  cents  a 
quart  for  milk  that  resembled  chalk  and  water.  This 
was  a^source  of  annoyance  common  to  all,  and  she 
determined  to  find  a  remedy  for  the  evil,  as  such  food 
was  very  important  in  the  diet  of  the  sick.  The 
project  formed  in  her  active  mind  was  considered 
impracticable — even  visionary  at  first;  but  her  judg- 
ment was  not  at  fault,  and  her  forcible  arguments 
soon  overcame  all  opposition.  Sanction  to  carry  out 
her  plans  was  gained  from  the  proper  authorities,  and 
so,  just  as  spring  was  merging  into  summer,  she 
started  North  upon  her  famous  "cow  and  hen  mis- 
sion." Her  object  was  to  obtain  one  hundred  cows 
and  one  thousand  hens  to  supply  the  hospitals  with 
an  abundance  of  fresh  milk  and  eggs  at  a  small  cost. 
They  were  to  be  cared  for  by  freed  men  upon  an  island 


90  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

in  the  Mississippi,  near  Memphis.  The  generous  char- 
acter of  the  Northwestern  farmers  she  knew  well,  and 
could  safely  rely  upon  them  for  assistance.  Even  the 
first  stage  of  this  mission  was  distinguished.  More 
than  one  hundred  crippled  soldiers  accompanied  her 
as  far  as  St.  Louis.  There  was  not  one  of  these  poor, 
maimed  fellows  who  did  not  leave  her  with  a  bless- 
ing, when  she  saw  them  safely  into  a  hospital  of  that 
city.  While  she  was  standing  among  them,  they 
made  a  striking  group — one  that  might  serve  as  a 
model  for  Liberty  caring  for  the  sons  who  had  suf- 
fered in  her  cause. 

As  soon  as  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  made  her  plan  known 
in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  one  of  the  wealthy  farmers 
there,  Mr.  Strawn,  aided  by  a  few  of  his  neighbors,  gave 
her  the  hundred  cows  she  desired;  and  as  she  pro- 
ceeded further,  chickens  seemed  to  spring  up  in  her 
path.  Her  arrival  at  Milwaukee  was  heralded  by  the 
lowing  of  cows,  and  the  cackling  of  hens;  and  when 
she  reached  Springfield  the  same  welcome  sounds 
greeted  her.  This  was  one  of  the  most  peculiar  of 
her  varied  experiences.  It  savors  of  the  fantastic 
stories  told  in  fairy  books.  Little  girls  with  dimpled 
cheeks  and  shy,  bright  eyes,  came  to  her  with  plump 
hens,  scolding  and  clucking  in  their  arms;  and  old 
women  brought  like  treasures  in  their  baskets.  Then 
a  farmer  would  come  leading  by  the  horns  a  cow  and 
say  that  for  the  sake  of  a  son  or  a  brother  "  down 
there  a  fighting  the  gray  coats,"  he  would  send  her 
along  too.  Her  sleek  sides  were  softly  patted  in  a 
sort  of  farewell,  while  she  instinctively  lowed  to  a 
little  calf  in  some  neighboring  barn. 


A  VISIT  TO  MRS.  LIVERMORE.  91 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  visited  Chicago,  where  she  was 
entertained  by  Mrs.  Livermore,  another  lady  cele- 
brated for  her  earnest  labors  in  behalf  of  the  soldiers 
during  the  war.  It  was  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  and 
the  sun  hung  low  when  the  guest  arrived  and  was 
welcomed  to  her  quiet  home.  Here  the  family  were 
preparing  to  attend  the  marriage  of  some  neighbor- 
ing friends,  and,  although  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  had  taken 
no  rest  since  her  arrival  in  the  city,  she  preferred  to 
join  them  rather  than  to  retire.  The  clear  bells  that 
pealed  in  the  twilight  from  numerous  church  towers, 
served  as  the  wedding  bells;  and  the  ceremony  was 
a  quiet  one  performed  in  the  bride's  own  home. 
To  the  surprise  of  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  a  young  officer 
in  his  handsome  uniform  took  the  bridegroom's  place 
beside  the  white-robed  girl,  and  after  he  had  intro- 
duced her  as  his  wife  to  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  he  surprised 
her  still  more  by  saying  that  they  had  previously 
met  at  Fort  Donelson.  Then  he  reminded  her  of  an 
officer  there,  who  had  been  wounded  by  a  minie"-ball, 
appealing  in  vain  to  a  surgeon  to  save  his  leg,  until  she 
interfered  in  his  behalf.  She  persuaded  the  surgeon 
to  leave  him  until  the  next  day,  when  it  was  found 
that  he  could  recover  without  undergoing  the  painful 
loss.  "  I  never  can  express  my  gratitude,"  he  con- 
cluded, "  for  you  saved  me  from  being  so  terribly 
maimed,  and  I  do  indeed  feel  that  you  have  been  to 
me  a  second  mother." 

While  upon  this  tour,  her  pleasing  appearance  and 
cordial  manners,  and  the  unique  character  of  her 
mission,  impressed  the  people  whom  she  visited  agree- 


92  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

ably.  They  made  many  attempts  to  show  her  public 
attentions,  but  she  modestly  shrank  from  such  dem- 
onstrations of  personal  favor.  Still  she  gained  the 
good-will  of  all  when  she  expressed  with  the  force 
and  simplicity  of  truth  her  appreciation  of  their 
kindness  to  her  and  to  those  whom  she  sought  to  aid. 

The  heat  of  early  summer  was  ripening  the  corn 
on  the  outlying  plantations  about  Memphis,  and 
making  the  roads  deep  with  dust,  as  she  again  re- 
turned to  her  duties  there.  Below,  along  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi,  this  hot,  unhealthful  season  had 
no  power  to  impede  the  progress  of  war;  and  the 
roar  of  artillery  sometimes  seemed  to  mock  the 
crashing  peals  of  the  thunder-storms.  All  the  rivers 
and  bayous  were  low,  and  the  swamps  exhaled  the 
rank  and  poisonous  odors  of  the  rich  semi-tropical 
vegetation  half  sweltered  in  the  heat.  The  army 
was  engaged  in  the  long,  exciting  siege  of  Vicksburg 
that  kept  the  spirits  of  the  soldiers  high  with  hope, 
and  encouraged  them  to  make  every  effort  in  their 
power  to  achieve  the  object  of  the  campaign.  Such 
exertions  in  the  blazing  heat  of  the  Southern  climate, 
made  large  numbers  sick  with  fever.  The  assaults 
upon  the  impregnable  stronghold,  that  took  place  in 
June,  caused  many  of  the  brave  fellows,  who  toiled 
up  the  bluffs  of  Vicksburg,  to  fall  bleeding  upon  the 
parched  earth. 

New  clusters  of  white  tents  sprang  up  among  the 
groves  in  the  vicinity.  They  were  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  men,  who  were  forced  by  their  inability  to 
be  moved,  to  lie  in  these  frail  shelters,  and  listen  to 


VlCKSBURG.  93 

the  screaming  of  shells  and  the  sharp  rattle  of  mus- 
ketry, that  sounded  from  the  direction  of  the  belea- 
guered city;  and  nearer,  the  rumble  of  teams  and  the 
hoarse  shouts  of  the  drivers  were  heard  at  intervals- 
A  moment  of  silence  was  intensified  by  the  murmur 
of  the  green  and  balsam-scented  pines,  which  only 
half  shut  out  the  burning  sunbeams.  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  was  needed  here  much  more  than  in  Memphis, 
and  she  was  soon  among  the  sufferers,  bringing  wel- 
come supplies  and  comfort  with  her.  Lemons  and 
ice  she  mixed  into  draughts,  which  tasted  like  nectar 
to  the  lips  of  thirsty  men  who  lay  prostrated  by  fever. 
They  had  been  longing  for  pure  water,  in  the  place 
of  which,  that  dipped  from  the  warm  and  murky  cur- 
rents of  the  river  was  offered  to  them. 

Often  in  the  sultry  summer  nights,  when  the  stars 
twinkled  feebly  through  the  humid  atmosphere,  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  went  from  tent  to  tent,  with  a  great,  brown 
pitcher  of  cold  and  sparkling  lemonade,  refreshing 
each  soldier  with  an  overflowing  cupful.  Now  and 
then  a  lizard  or  a  serpent  would  glide  across  her  path, 
and  owls  hooted  from  the  dense  pines  and  cypress 
trees  in  the  darkness  beyond;  but  to  these  she  never 
gave  a  thought.  Perhaps  she  noticed  the  shells  that 
frequently  described  their  fiery  flight  across  the  dark 
skies,  sent  from  the  Union  mortars  over  the  defenses 
of  Vicksburg;  still  the  feeble  rays  of  the  candles  in 
the  tents  interested  her  more.  They  were  the  beacons 
to  guide  her  to  her  posts  of  duty.  Insects  flew  hum- 
ming through  the  shadows,  to  scorch  their  glittering 
wings  in  those  red  lights,  while  others  more  vicious 


94  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

circled  above  the  cots  seeking  their  prey.  Mrs.  Bick- 
erdyke's  willing  hands  found  little  rest.  Her  tender 
heart  was  wrung  by  the  pitiful  appeals  of  the  dying, 
calling  upon  her  in  the  delirium  of  fever  for  their  ab- 
sent friends;  or  giving  in  high,  excited  voices  the 
cheers  of  victory,  or  the  groans  of  the  wounded. 
Yet  her  strong  nerves  were  proof  against  even  long- 
continued  scenes  like  these.  She  awoke  early  in  the 
golden  summer  dawns,  and  brushed  the  dew  from  her 
path  as  she  began  the  labors  of  another  day.  With 
clear  eyes  she  looked  upon  her  duties,  and  her  voice 
was  strong  and  cheerful  when  she  spoke  to  the  suffer- 
ing men,  who  always  welcomed  her  so  gladly.  Hope 
and  comfort  took  possession  of  every  tent  she  entered, 
and  amid  these  trying  circumstances  she  was  the 
same  energetic  and  practical  woman,  whom  the  sol- 
diers had  honored  with  the  title  of  "  General,"  at  Cor- 
inth. Here,  also,  she  displayed  the  same  interest  in 
every  one  that  had  made  her  so  popular  there.  One 
day  she  rode  from  the  river  in  an  ambulance  loaded 
with  sanitary  stores  for  the  hospital.  After  every- 
thing had  been  taken  out  of  the  vehicle,  the  driver 
was  about  to  start  away,  when  she  said,  "  Wait  a  mo- 
ment, Mr.  Lillibridge,  I  have  something  for  you." 

The  young  soldier  was  pleased  at  hearing  himself  so 
pleasantly  addressed,  and  thought  that  she  must  be  a 
witch  to  divine  his  name.  He  was  almost  convinced, 
when  she  handed  him  a  large  package  which  proved 
to  be  composed  of  fresh  and  rare  eatables,  that  served 
as  an  uncommon  treat  to  him  and  half  a  dozen  com- 
rades. The  meal  was  an  agreeable  surprise,  long  re- 


THE  FALL  OF  VICKSBURG.  95 

membered  by  them  all.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  seemed  to 
know  every  one's  name  instinctively,  and  whoever  she 
spoke  to  felt  that  she  was  particularly  interested  in 
himself.  It  is  not  surprising  that  she  won  such  uni- 
versal respect  and  esteem  from  those  men.  They 
often  came  to  her  with  their  little  treasures,  if  they 
anticipated  exposure  to  any  imminent  peril;  and  they 
placed  hundreds  of  dollars  of  their  pay  in  her  hands 
for  safe  keeping.  She  was  indeed  trusted  and  hon- 
ored as  much  as  though  the  word  "  mother,"  by  which 
they  all  called  her,  was  something  more  than  a  mere 
figurative  appellation. 

Vicksburg  surrendered  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1863, 
thus  appropriately  celebrating  the  national  holiday, 
that  marks,  as  if  with  mile-stones,  the  progress  of  the 
Union.  The  thunder  of  artillery  reverberated  through 
the  forests,  followed  by  the  ringing  shouts  of  the  vic- 
torious Federal  troops.  This  sublime  music  pro- 
claimed not  only  the  doom  of  the  defeated  foe,  but 
the  joy  of  the  whole  North,  because 

From  the  small  crystal  springs  that  were  gleaming, 

Like  gems  in  the  green  northern  vales, 
To  the  gulf  where  the  sunlight  was  streaming, 

In  floods  on  the  ocean-bound  sails, 

The  Father  of  Waters  was  sweeping 

Un vexed  through  the  beautiful  land; 
While  Liberty,  smiling  and  weeping, 

Rejoiced  in  the  work  of  her  hand. 

The  pine  needles  glittered  and  waved  in  the  South- 
ern breeze,  upon  which  floated  the  banners  that  had 
been  tattered  and  stained  in  this  latest  victory  of 
freedom.  A  thousand  mingling  sounds  seemed  try- 
ing to  drown  the  sweet  rippling  of  the  river,  that  still 


96  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

might  be  heard  like  a  clear  contralto  softly  joining  its 
hymn  of  praise  with  the  warlike  symphony. 

From  the  bluffs  about  Vicksburg,  a  throng  of  piti- 
able men  came  pouring  down,  tottering  with  weakness, 
and  within  its  now  useless  defenses,  many  lay  dying 
of  hunger  and  pain.  The  conquerors  were  generous 
to  them,  and  the  surgeons  and  nurses  acted  literally 
upon  the  Golden  Rule;  so,  although  that  memora- 
ble day  was  marked  by  defeat  to  the  Confederates,  it 
brought  the  balm  of  peace  and  comfort  to  those  who 
had  suffered  most. 

The  hospital  tents  were  clean,  airy  places,  supplied 
with  comfortable  cots,  above  which  curtains  and  mos- 
quito bars  were  suspended.  Large  palm  leaf  fans 
were  supplied  to  all  of  the  patients,  and  added  greatly 
to  their  comfort.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  Fed- 
eral Army  was  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg, 
for  the  purpose  of  rest  during  the  midsummer  heat. 
The  soldiers  were  high-spirited  and  lively,  and  their 
quarters  were  comfortably  and  healthfully  arranged, 
making  an  unusual  amount  of  enjoyment  possible  to 
them.  Few  duties  were  required,  and  these  were  con- 
fined almost  entirely  to  exercises  which  are  agreeable 
to  the  true  soldier.  Many  of  the  officers  sent  for 
their  families  to  spend  with  them  this  unusual  inter- 
val of  peace  and  rest;  and  thoughts  of  home  were 
suggested  to  many  a  brave  fellow,  by  the  sight  of  the 
fair  and  merry  children  who  visited  the  camps.  Often 
the  gorgeous  sunsets  shed  a  glow  of  gold  and  crimson 
light  upon  a  group  of  soldiers  in  their  fresh  uniforms, 
listening  to  the  strains  of  some  favorite  air,  played 


THK  FALL  OF  VICKSBURG.  97 

softly  by  one  of  the  regimental  bands;  and  in  the 
short,  dusky  hour  that  followed,  many  longing  eyes 
gazed  absently  upon  the  brighten  ing  stars,  while  fancy 
pictured,  instead,  the  dear  face  of  some  one  beloved, 
now  far  away  and  lonely  in  her  Northern  home. 

Though  the  soldiers  were  resting  upon  the  laurels 
which  they  had  so  dearly  won,  no  link  in  the  chain 
of  duty  was  broken,  and  the  near  future  promised  to 
be  full  of  hard  service.  All  through  those  quiet  weeks 
a  thread  of  preparation  for  the  autumn  campaign  was 
woven.  Men  from  the  hospital  tents  rejoined  their 
regiments,  and  as  the  season  wore  on,  the  numbers  of 
these  increased  daily,  showing  that  amid  those  sunny 
groves,  faithful  care  and  skill  were  unrelaxed,  and 
doing  their  priceless  work.  Midsummer  days  and 
sultry  nights  saw  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  actively  and  con- 
stantly engaged  in  her  chosen  duties.  Patient  toil 
and  much  energy  were  required  of  her,  and  these  were 
not  wanting.  Wherever  she  went,  order  and  plenty 
followed,  as  if  invoked  by  some  secret  power. 

The  gentle  zephyr,  that  brings  health  and  pleasure, 
excites  little  comment,  though  it  may  be  highly  ap- 
preciated; but  the  loud  and  sudden  thunder-storm, 
that  purifies  the  air,  is  noticed  near  and  far.  Thus  it 
may  be  attributed  much  to  her  commanding  spirit 
and  dauntless  courage  in  dealing  with  the  few,  whom 
she  found  to  be  selfish  and  dishonest  in  regard  to 
sanitary  work,  that  made  her  name  become  a  familiar 
and  pleasant  word  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  alike. 
Her  popularity  served  her  well  sometimes.  Upon 
one  occasion,  an  officer  who  had  charge  of  sanitary 
7 


98  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

supplies  was  discovered  by  her  in  the  act  of  making 
some  perfidious  use  of  them;  and,  as  usual,  was  not 
permitted  to  pursue  the  course  he  had  adopted.  That 
he  should  be  interfered  with  by  her  was  more  than 
his  dignity  could  brook,  and  with  all  the  pomp  of  of- 
fended authority,  he  complained  to  General  Sherman. 

"Who  is  she?"  inquired  the  general. 

"A  Mother  Bickerdyke,"  he  scornfully  replied. 

"  Oh !  well,"  said  the  general,  "  she  ranks  me,  you 
must  apply  to  President  Lincoln." 

The  disconcerted  officer  slunk  quickly  away,  while 
the  general  indulged  in  a  smile  of  amusement.  Mrs- 
Bickerdyke  was  well  known  to  him.  He  appreciated 
her  remarkable  abilities,  and  secured  her  services  for 
his  men,  when  the  autumn  campaign  began. 

Late  in  September  the  picturesque  camp-life  about 
Vicksburg  was  disturbed  by  the  dictates  of  war.  The 
tents  were  struck,  and  brigade  after  brigade  marched 
away,  their  gleaming  bayonets  and  bright  uniforms 
enlivening  every  scene  through  which  they  passed- 
Sometimes  their  road  wound  through  yellow  corn 
fields,  where  the  silken  tassels  nodded  with  promise 
in  every  breeze;  and  again  it  lay  across  plantations 
uncultivated  and  desolate,  or  between  the  hills  and  up 
the  rivers,  where  echoes  reveled  in  every  note  that 
rung  through  the  sparse  forests,  from  the  moving 
hosts.  Their  steps  were  bent  and  their  faces  were 
turned  towards  Lookout  Mountain  to  which  their 
hearts  leaped  forward  in  anticipation  of  future  con- 
quests. The  capture  of  Vicksburg  shed  a  glory  upon 
them,  like  that  of  the  brilliant  sunsets  which  foretold 


RANKING  A  GENERAL.  99 

a  fair  and  golden  dawn.  General  Grant,  the  hero  of 
this  triumph,  was  still  their  guide,  and  every  soldier 
looked  with  faith  toward  the  star  of  his  fame,  that  was 
rapidly  ascending  to  the  zenith  of  ultimate  success. 
From  border  to  border  throughout  the  Union,  his 
name  was  becoming  synonymous  with  victory;  and 
it  inspired  the  armies  with  redoubled  strength  and 
courage. 

The  troops  advanced  by  long  and  toilsome  marches, 
with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  rainbow  that  seemed 
to  encircle  the  clouded  brow  of  Lookout  Mountain; 
and  in  their  train  followed  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  with  Gen- 
eral Sherman's  lively  and  dauntless  men. 

As  they  proceeded  eastward,  the  varying  landscapes 
daily  became  more  desolate.  They  had  been  rav- 
aged by  the  conflicting  armies,  and  autumn  strove  in 
vain  to  beautify  them  with  the  ruby  and  russet  em- 
broideries of  her  threadbare  scarf.  The  dark  blue 
outlines  of  Missionary  Ridge,  appearing  against  the 
sky,  told  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  that  she  had  reached  her 
destination.  No  welcome  to  a  friendly  fireside 
greeted  her  here,  and  offered  rest  after  the  long  and 
wearisome  journey;  but  instead,  the  field  hospital  near 
Chattanooga,  with  its  gray  tents,  swept  by  chill  winds, 
and  filled  with  wounded  soldiers,  who  needed  her 
gentle  care. 


CHATTANOOGA — "LOG-HEAPS" — "THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CLOUDS' 
— A  TEMPESTUOUS  NIGHT — FUNERALS  AT  CHRISTMAS-TIDE — 
HUNTSVILLE — A  TRIP  TO  THE  NORTH — ON  TO  ATLANTA — AT 
RINGOLD — THE  FIELD  HOSPITAL  AT  RESACA — KINGSTON — 
WAR  IN  THE  WOODS — NEW  HOPE — IN  AMBUSH — THE  PORTA- 
BLE OVEN — TRYING  THE  DOUGH — WOMAN'S  INFLUENCE. 


ARK  and  grim  appeared  the  craggy 
sides  of  Mount  Lookout  and  Mission- 
ary Ridge,  as  the  storms  came  sweep- 
ing around  them,  and  whistling 
through  the  forest  below.  In  these 
wind-swept  woods,  about  three  miles 
from  Chattanooga,  the  field  hospital 
for  the  men  who  had  been  wounded  in 
thebattleof  Chickamauga.waslocated. 
Their  frail  tents,  pitched  among  the  trees,  were  often 
rent  and  overthrown  by  the  gale;  and  sometimes 
giant  boughs  were  hurled  against  them  by  the  same 
pitiless  force.  Here  the  privations  which  the  soldiers 
endured,  were  great.  Supplies  of  all  sorts  were  lim- 
ited, and  the  approach  of  winter  was  heralded  by  the 
(100) 


CHATTANOOGA.  101 

bitter  cold  and  dampness  of  a  more  than  usually  se- 
vere season.  Although  fuel  could  be  obtained  in 
abundance  from  the  forest,  fires  could  not  be  ar- 
ranged so  as  to  give  sufficient  warmth.  Around  a 
large  "  log-heap  "  of  burning  wood,  placed  in  a  small 
clearing,  several  tents  were  pitched.  Dark  plumes  of 
smoke  curled  up  from  the  blazing  pile,  and  upon  the 
coals  beneath,  the  frugal  meals  for  the  patients  and 
their  attendants  were  prepared. 

These  "  log-heaps  "  each  with  its  circle  of  gray  tents^ 
were  numerous,  forming  a  strange  village,  not  unlike 
those  of  the  savage  tribes,  which  had  nestled  about 
the  base  of  the  same  blue  mountains  long  ago,  when 
the  forests  waved  in  primeval  beauty,  and  the  toma- 
hawk and  arrow  were  the  weapons  of  war.  Now  in- 
stead of  these  barbarous  implements,  the  spirit  of 
battle  looked  upon  the  formidable  array  of  artillery 
frowning  behind  the  entrenchments  and  fortifications 
that  scarred  Mount  Lookout's  beetling  brows,  and  the 
stony  ^ides  of  Missionary  Ridge.  Upon  these  nat- 
ural strongholds  the  Confederate  Army  fancied  itself 
secure,  and  waited  with  confidence,  while  the  Union 
forces  gathered  in  the  surrounding  valleys,  and  upon 
the  rolling  hill-slopes,  threaded  by  bright,  silvery 
rivers  and  streams,  that  only  made  the  scene  appear 
darker  and  colder. 

From  the  tents  in  the  forest,  a  ma  nificent  view  of 
these  threatening  heights  could  be  obtained.  The 
panorama  was  remarkable  for  the  bold  grandeur  of 
nature  seen  in  the  rugged  hills;  and  for  the  waving 
flags  and  gleaming  tents  of  the  Southern  hosts,  that 


102  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

appeared  brilliant  and  clearly  defined  against  the 
somber  background.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  lost  no  precious 
time  in  contemplating  this  array  of  battle,  but,  with 
the  force  of  an  intensely  practical  nature,  immediately 
began  the  work  she  found  at  hand.  She  selected  a 
"  log-heap,"  and,  after  enlarging  it  to  double  the  size  of 
the  others,  proceeded  to  prepare  fresh  and  wholesome 
food,  much  of  which  was  obtained  from  the  stores 
that  she  had  contrived  to  bring  with  her.  Fragrant 
tea  and  coffee  were  made  in  the  iron  kettles  upon  the 
coals;  and  toast  and  broiled  meat  were  prepared  by 
means  almost  as  rude  and  simple  as  that  adopted  by 
the  gypsies.  Delicious  soup  was  kept  steaming  hot, 
and  ready  at  all  hours. 

The  soldiers  had  made  little  ovens  for  themselves 
of  bricks  and  clay,  and  these  suggested  to  Mrs.  Bick- 
erdyke the  idea  of  having  several  of  a  larger  size,  con- 
structed for  her  primitive  kitchen.  The  plan  was 
readily  acted  upon,  and  soon  enabled  her  to  prepare 
fine  bread,  roasted  meat,  and  even  cakes;  so  the  dis- 
tasteful "hard  tack,"  which  had  been  served  so  long, 
was  replaced  by  fresh  light  bread,  that  many  a  grate- 
ful man  declared  equal  to  the  appetizing  loaves  made 
in  his  own  home. 

The  wildness  and  danger  of  their  surroundings  were 
never  permitted  to  be  absent  from  their  minds.  Con- 
stantly the  rumble  of  wheels  and  the  tramp  of  march- 
ing feet,  the  calls  of  the  bugles  and  the  beats  of  the 
drums,  all,  softened  by  distance,  called  up  the  vision 
of  armed  hosts  rapidly  preparing  for  battle;  and  not 
only  this  commotion  kept  them  alert,  but  also  the 


AT  THE  BASE  OF  MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  103 

deadly  missiles  that  sped  down  from  the  mountain 
slopes  across  the  Union  lines,  threatening  their  refuge. 

About  three  days  before  the  battle,  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  rejoined  General  Sherman's  corps  at  the  base  of 
Missionary  Ridge.  She  was  received  by  many  of  the 
soldiers  with  a  true  friendly  welcome,  which  was  to  her 
as  gratifying  as  dew  and  sunshine  are  to  a  flower  that 
has  been  shut  away  from  those  grateful  influences. 
As  yet  no  other  woman  had  reached  these  scenes,  and 
being  a  stranger  in  an  unfamiliar  place,  she  felt  the 
want  of  sympathy  that  is  so  highly  appreciated  by  a 
warm  and  friendly  nature.  The  pleasant  assurance 
of  thankful  feelings  and  kind  remembrances,  which 
was  expressed  by  "  the  boys "  for  whom  she  had 
toiled  so  earnestly  during  the  hot  summer  at  Vicks- 
burg,  was  to  her  the  reward  most  prized  of  any  that 
Providence  could  "bestow.  In  this,  she  manifested 
the  true  feminine  spirit  that  actuated  her  to  do  and 
dare  so  much  for  her  country.  Although  the  soldiers 
might  call  her  "  general,"  they  felt  that  she  was,  in 
truth,  the  "  mother,"  about  whose  head  filial  eyes 
could  discern  the  matchless  aureole  that  glorifies  the 
brow  of  motherhood. 

The  Battle  in  the  Clouds  began  upon  the  23d  of 
November,  1863,  a  threatening  day  in  which  autumn 
scattered  her  hectic  leaves  upon  the  sod,  and  wept 
and  shivered  in  the  gloom.  The  mountain  heights 
revealed  the  fearful  revelry  of  death  which  was  pro- 
claimed by  the  rolling  thunder  of  artillery,  and  the 
whistling  of  bullets.  Sometimes  the  white  smoke 
from  long  lines  of  rapidly  discharged  muskets  as- 


104  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

cended  from  the  crags  and  defensive  works;  and 
again  it  was  puffed  away  in  clouds  from  the  booming 
guns,  making  the  power  of  war  appear  indeed  most 
terrible.  From  the  almost  deserted  valley,  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  looked  upon  this  sublime  theater  of 
action  far  above  her,  scarcely  discerning  its  magnifi- 
cence; her  heart  was  so  full  of  hope  and  anxiety  for 
the  valiant  soldiers,  who  were  bearing  the  old  Union 
flag  steadily  upward  against  the  storm  of  fire  and 
lead  that  beat  down  their  ranks.  That  first  day  of 
the  struggle  was  the  most  trying  of  all  to  her,  be- 
cause there  was  nothing  to  relieve  the  suspense  which 
it  excited.  During  the  dismal  afternoon  the  wounded 
were  brought  in  from  the  fields  of  carnage,  with  faces 
pale  and  streaked  with  powder,  their  uniforms  tat- 
tered and  stained  with  blood.  The  tents  arranged 
to  receive  them  were  pitched  upon  a  small  hill  that 
sloped  down  to  the  Tennessee  River,  at  the  base  of 
Missionary  Ridge. 

Night  closed  over  the  scene,  dark  and  bitter  cold; 
and  the  wind  blew  out  the  lante.rns  and  scattered  the 
fagots  piled  upon  the  "  log-heaps."  The  roar  of 
artillery  ceased  to  reverberate  among  the  hills  at 
night-fall,  and  through  the  blackness  that  obscured 
every  surrounding  object,  the  sighing  of  the  winds  in 
the  trees,  and  the  murmuring  of  the  river,  came  to 
mingle  with  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and  dying. 
Some  of  the  tents  were  blown  from  their  fastenings 
by  the  gale,  exposing  the  unfortunate  sufferers,  whom 
they  had  sheltered,  to  indescribable  agony.  Here 
even  the  matchless  courage  of  the  soldiers'  mother 


CARING  FOR  THE  WOUNDED.  105 

did  not  fail  her.  She  hastened  from  tent  to  tent 
with  medicine,  dressings  for  wounds,  and  cordials. 
Burning  coals  and  hot  bricks  were  taken  into  the 
tents,  and  steaming  beverages,  administered  freely, 
to  counteract  the  fatal  chills  that  insidiously  crept 
over  the  men,  when  weakened  from  loss  of  blood  and 
the  fatigue  of  battle. 

The  skirts  of  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  thick  flannel  dress 
were  perforated  as  if  by  bullets,  from  being  repeatedly 
set  on  fire  by  the  coals  and  flying  sparks  of  the  "log- 
heaps,"  while  she  hastened  about  her  duties.  All 
through  the  night  and  during  the  day  that  followed, 
this  work  was  continued.  Wounded  men  swelled 
the  number  of  the  patients  every  hour,  until  night 
again  mercifully  arrested  the  work  of  death.  But  a 
new  danger  threatened  them.  The  weather  grew  so 
cold  that  they  were  almost  frozen;  and  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  hastened  through  the  cutting  blasts  with  glow- 
ing embers  and  hot  bricks,  until  after  midnight,  when 
she  became  too  much  exhausted  to  continue  this  life- 
saving  work  any  longer,  and  was  compelled  to  take 
a  few  hours'  rest. 

On  the  25th  day  of  November  the  national  flag 
floated  from  the  purple  summits  of  the  mountains, 
that  were-  splashed  with  life-blood,  bright  as  the  red 
stripes  in  the  folds  of  the  glorious  Union  standard. 

A  few  hours  had  changed  the  scene.  On  the  day 
before,  fleecy  gray  vapors  had  curtained  from  view 
General  Hooker's  intrepid  men,  as  they  scaled  the 
dizzy  heights  of  old  Lookout.  They  had  completely 
surprised  the  Confederates,  driving  them  from  their 


106  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

rifle-pits;  then,  like  an  inspiration,  came  the  order, 
"  Charge,"  and  they  sprang  upward  with  resistless 
fury,  climbing  the  precipitous  crags  under  the  deadly 
fire  of  the  enemy,  and  never  relaxing  their  efforts 
until  they  had  routed  their  antagonists,  and  carried 
the  whole  position.  This  military  feat,  unrivaled  for 
brilliancy,  was  repeated  the  next  day  on  Missionary 
Ridge,  when  General  Grant  ordered  an  assault  on 
the  whole  Confederate  line.  It  was  pressed  with 
dauntless  heroism,  until  the  scorched  and  tattered 
Union  colors  waved  triumphantly  above  the  crown 
of  the  ridge,  from  which  the  Southern  army  fled  in 
disastrous  confusion 

Now  the  clouds  had  dissolved  in  rain  or  drifted 
away,  and  a  clear  azure  sky  permitted  the  sunshine 
to  gild  and  beautify  every  object  of  nature.  It  beamed 
as  brightly  upon  the  stark  figures  of  the  unburied 
slain  as  it  did  upon  the  Federal  army,  flushed  with 
the  intoxication  of  victory.  Although  the  men  were 
weary  and  almost  overwhelmed  with  fatigue,  they 
still  pursued  their  vanquished  foes,  who  retreated 
toward  Ringold.  There,  on  the  26th,  an  engagement 
took  place,  which  ended  the  four  days'  conflict,  that 
constituted  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  terrible  bat- 
tles of  the  whole  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  men  wounded  at  Ringold  were  sent  to  join 
those  near  Chattanooga.  Here,  in  the  immense  field 
hospital,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  continued  to  labor,  endur- 
ing the  most  severe  hardships  with  remarkable  re- 
sistance. As  Christmas  day  approached,  the  good 
cheer  and  joyful  family  gatherings,  which  make  winter 


AT  RINGOLD.  107 

holiday  seasons  so  delightful,  were  painfully  recalled 
by  the  disabled  soldiers,  because  the  dark  foreboding 
present  appeared  even  more  wretched  when  contrasted 
with  those  memories.  If  holly  and  pine  flourished 
in  the  woods  about  Chattanooga,  they  offered  their 
treasures  of  scarlet  berries  an  i  glossy  tassels  in  vain; 
or  perhaps  they  had  been  cut  away  by  bullets  and 
shells.  Instead  of  sharing  in  festivities  where  music 
and  light  weave  their  spells  of  gladness  about  the 
altar  and  the  fireside,  the  men  lay  in  helpless  pain. 
Sun-browned  veterans  of  the  war,  in  all  the  pride 
and  vigor  of  perfect  manhood,  and  slender  boys  whose 
frames  were  fired  with  youthful  t  nthusiasm,  had  been 
struck  and  left  helpless  by  cruel  missiles  and  bayonets; 
and  now  the  days  that  peace  and  pleasure  claim  saw 
many  of  them  borne  to  their  graves  far  from  home, 
and  interred  with  the  brief  yet  impressive  ceremonies 
of  a  military  funeral. 

A  large  number  of  these  soldiers  vvho  were  laid  to 
rest  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  where  they  had 
fought  and  conquered  so  gloriously,  were  young,  and 
their  doom  seemed  the  more  to  be  regretted,  because 
among  them  was  many  a  youth, 

Within  whose  soul  the  gem  of  power 

Had  promised  to  unfold, 
Into  the  glorious  amaranth  flower, 
Which  is  a  rare  immortal  dower 

More  precious  far  than  gold. 

The  laurels  and  the  banners  bright, 

The  stars,  and  all  the  rest 
The  future  promised,  sink  from  sight, 
When  the  young  brow,  so  smooth  and  white, 

By  Death's  cold  lip  is  pressed. 


108  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Ah!  Fame  and  Freedom  ne'er  can  know, 

When  the  young  hearts  are  still, 
What  they  have  lost,  beneath  the  snow 
Of  those  pale  brows— what  laurels  grow 

Uncalled  from  vale  and  hill. 

New  Year's  day  was  made  one  of  gladness  to  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke,  by  the  arrival  of  her  cherished  friend. 
Mrs.  Porter.  She  had  come  from  Cairo,  which  was 
the  last  place  she  had  stopped  at  on  her  patriotic  and 
charitable  mission.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  welcomed  her 
cordially,  and  at  the  same  time  indulged  in  a  touching 
shower  of  tears  that  were  a  relief  to  her  feelings, 
which  had  been  severely  taxed  for  weeks.  Tears 
excite  pity  when  shed  by  the  young  and  helpless, 
but  when  they  sparkle  on  the  cheeks  of  one  so  strong 
and  cheerful  as  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  they  call  for  the 
most  sincere  compassion,  because  they  spring  from 
sources  so  deep  and  difficult  to  reach. 

These  admirable  companions  pursued  their  work 
together,  all  through  the  hard,  stormy  winter  and 
into  early  spring.  Often  food  was  supplied  in  what 
the  poor  sufferers  tersely  described  as  "  starvation  ra- 
tions;" and  at  such  times,  these  tender,  self-sacrificing 
women  divided  their  morsels  with  some  young  soldier 
who  appeared  weaker  than  the  rest.  Their  respective 
characteristics  here  also  led  them  to  select  different 
methods  of  performing  their  common  tasks.  In  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke's  nature,  the  inexhaustible  warmth  and 
hope  made  her  presence  a  source  of  inspiration  and 
courage  that  did  more  good  than  it  is  possible  to  es_ 
timate;  while  her  compeer  was  as  admirable,  dissemi- 
nating the  influence  of  her  pure,  trustful  faith,  that 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  MRS.  PORTER.  109 

enabled  despairing  men  to  bear  the  cross  of  their 
calamities. 

Mrs.  Porter  distributed  stores  and  nursed  the  sick, 
while  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  continued  to  reign  in  her 
primitive  kitchen,  which  was  improved  slowly,  until  it 
became  of  much  importance.  After  a  time,  regular 
supplies  of  food  and  other  stores  were  sent  to  the  sta- 
tion at  Chattanooga,  and  she  frequently  went  in  an 
army  wagon,  drawn  by  mules,  to  receive  them.  This 
was  a  tedious  drive,  over  a  rough  and  muddy  road, 
rendered  still  more  slow  and  wearisome  on  account  of 
the  bad  condition  of  the  mules.  On  her  return  to  the 
hospital,  she  proceeded  to  do  her  usual  day's  work 
before  taking  any  rest,  baking  bread  and  preparing 
other  food  until  late  at  night.  Though  she  sought 
her  cot  with  weary  steps  and  heavy  eyes,  a  feeble 
moan  always  recalled  her  from  her  much-needed  sleep 
to  the  side  of  the  one  in  distress,  and  she  saved  many 
lives  by  this  constant  watchfulness. 

1  n  March,  while  the  lingering  storms  continued  to 
oss  and  drench  the  branches  about  their  camp,  the 
last  of  the  convalescent  soldiers  were  allowed  to  re- 
turn on  furlough  to  their  Northern  homes.  There  is 
something  weird  in  the  rapidity  of  change  that 
.frequently  distinguishes  great  battles  or  calamities. 
But  a  single  winter  had  passed  over  those  mountains 
and  valleys,  and  yet  the  events  which  had  transpired 
during  that  time  will  render  them  forever  haunted 
with  associations  of  carnage,  and  sacred  to  the  pages 
of  history.  Of  the  80,000  Union  men,  whose  uni- 
forms had  made  the  landscape  blue  in  November. 


110  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

none  remained  except  those  at  rest  under  the  sods, 
which  returning  spring  would  soon  cover  with  fresh 
leaves  and  blossoms. 

Mrs.  Bickerdykeand  Mrs.  Porter  went  immediately 
to  Huntsville,  and  took  charge  of  the  military  hos- 
pital there.  Large  numbers  of  the  men  who  had  suf- 
fered such  terrible  privations  during  the  winter,  were 
afflicted  with  scurvy  in  consequence,  and  as  varieties 
of  food  necessary  to  their  recovery  could  not  be  ob- 
tained in  those  ravaged  and  desolate  regions  of  the 
South,  the  two  women  decided  to  procure  a  supply 
from  the  North.  They  started  for  Chicago,  but  on 
reaching  Nashville,  their  demands  were  satisfied  for 
the  present;  and  they  returned  to  the  soldiers  at 
Huntsville,  laden  with  vegetables  and  dried  fruit,  for 
which  the  most  sincere  gratitude  was  shown. 

Men,  who  had  left  congenial  pursuits  and  the  lux- 
uries of  a  home;  who  had  marched  over  the  rocks  and 
marshes  until. their  feet  were  bare,  and  their  footprints 
marked  with  blooJ;  who  had  faced  death  in  battle, 
and  defied  the  power  of  fever  and  cold,  all  for  the 
sake  of  their  patriotism,  received  a  pickled  vegetable 
or  a  morsel  of  dried  fruit  with  trembling  fingers,  that 
could  not  have  been  tempted  to  take  a  nugget  of  gold 
in  its  place.  This  is  not  typical  of  the  terrors  of  war, 
like  the  field  of  conflict  and  the  prison,  but  of  the 
privations  incidental  to  active  army  life.  Indeed,  as 
Carlyle  says,  "The  historian  should  be  a  poet."  No 
one  less  gifted  could  do  justice  even  to  the  heroes  of 
the  ranks. 

Later  in  the  spring,  the  supply  of  fresh  vegetables 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  RANKS.  Ill 

again  became  inadequate,  and  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  went 
North  to  procure  fruit  and  pickles.  She  found  the 
people  no  less  responsive  to  her  requests  than  they 
had  been  the  year  before;  yet,  owing  to  the  nature  of 
the  food  required,  she  had  to  make  greater  personal 
efforts  to  obtain  the  desired  amount.  Upon  many 
occasions  she  spoke  in  churches  and  at  public  meet- 
ings, making  appeals  remarkable  for  their  directness 
arid  point,  and  for  the  success  that  followed  them- 
Whileon  thisexcursion, she  observed  with  moreinterest 
the  tender  shoots  appearing  in  the  kitchen  gardens, 
than  the  first  bright  rosebuds  and  pansies  that  orna- 
mented many  a  porch  and  lawn.  Her  feelings  were 
so  deeply  interested  in  the  army  work  that  she  neg- 
lected this  opportunity  of  taking  a  much-needed  rest, 
in  order  to  return  to  Huntsville  as  soon  as  possible. 
On  reaching  Nashville  she  received  a  gift  of  $100,  to 
be  used  for  the  soldiers  in  any  manner  that  she  should 
deem  most  wise  and  beneficial.  This  had  been  sent 
by  the  people  of  Milwaukee.  Her  energy  and  ear- 
nestness had  greatly  impressed  them  while  she  was 
there  upon  her  last  visit,  and,  besides,  they  had  not 
forgotten  her  remarkable  "  cow  and  hen  mission." 

She  still  devoted  most  of  her  services  to  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee;  and  her  work  was  highly  prized  by 
all  of  the  officers,  from  whom  she  received  much  con- 
sideration; now  listening  to  General  McPherson's  offers 
to  do  anything  in  his  power  to  assist  her;  and  again, 
upon  General  Sherman's  request,  consenting  to  ac- 
company his  forces  during  the  next  campaign. 

Early  in  March;  1864,  General  Grant  was  appointed 


112  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

•  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United 
States.  This  conferred  upon  him  the  power  to  con- 
trol and  direct  no  less  than  700,000  Union  soldiers, 
by  whom  he  was  honored  and  admired.  After  decid- 
ing upon  the  course  he  thought  best  to  adopt,  in  order 
to  crush  the  Rebellion,  he  gave  General  Sherman  an 
important  part  of  his  plan  to  carry  out.  This  was  to 
move  against  Atlanta,  which  was  held  by  the  Con- 
federate forces  under  General  Johnston.  With  this 
design,  General  Sherman  soon  sent  a  thrill  of  excite- 
ment and  preparation  throughout  the  Federal  camps 
at  Chattanooga  and  Huntsville,  where  the  greater  part 
of  his  gathering  army,  now  100,000  strong,  was  sta- 
tioned. For  more  than  a  month,  the  work  of  making 
all  things  ready  for  the  military  movements  contem- 
plated, went  steadily  on.  When  May  arrived,  with 
her  sunshine  and  verdure,  General  Shermarj  was  pre- 
pared to  start  with  forces  of  which  he  said,  "  I  doubt 
if  any  army  ever  went  forth  to  battle  with  fewer  im- 
pedimenta, and  where  the  regular  and  necessary  sup- 
plies of  food,  ammunition,  and  clothing  were  issued, 
as  called  for,  so  regularly  and  so  well." 

Like  their  leader,  who  set  the  example,  every  man 
forgot  all  personal  considerations  in  his  resolution  to 
win  the  prize  in  view.  Even  the  tents  were  left  be- 
hind, both  officers  and  men  sleeping  under  the  one 
dark,  star-hung  tent  that  night  stretches  over  the 
hemisphere.  They  were  full  of  determination  and 
enthusiasm,  and  arose  at  dawn,  shaking  lightly  the 
pearls  of  dew  from  their  clothing,  and  beginning  their 
duties  with  a  jest  or  a  snatch  of  song.  During  the 


ON  TO  ATLANTA.  113 

first  week  in  May,  the  army  of  General  Sherman  bent 
its  steps  toward  the  sea,  well  equipped  to  battle  with 
the  powerful  foes,  who  were  fortified  in  the  cities  and 
strongholds  between. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  and  Mrs.  Porter  followed  them, 
with  their  stores  of  all  t.iings  necessary  to  alleviate 
the  pain  and  lessen  the  trials  of  those  who  should  be- 
come sick  or  wounded.  Though  they  had  seen  and 
shared  much  suffering  in  sight  of  the  beautiful  mount- 
ains toward  which  their  gaze  was  fixed  in  farewell, 
they  advanced  into  the  hostile  country  with  hearts  as 
fearless,  and  courage  as  great,  as  did  any  one  in  a  blue 
uniform  preceding  them.  Softer  and  dimmer  grew 
the  outlines  of  the  peaks,  until  they  appeared  as  if 
draped  with  folds  of  rich  velvet,  that  had  caught  the 
luster  of  sunlight.  That  receding  scene  might  well  be 
panoplied  with  splendor,  for  there  the  laurels  of  tri- 
umph flourished,  still  fresh  and  bright  with  ruby  gems 
of  dew.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  prepared  for  service. 
She  was  not  carefully  protected,  although  whatever 
was  necessary  to  her  comfort  was  supplied,  as  well  as 
circumstances  permitted.  Besides,  she  was  neither 
empty-handed  nor  at  leisure.  On  reaching  Ringold> 
where  the  railroad  terminated,  she  was  told  that  her 
sanitary  supplies  could  not  be  sent  further.  Every 
means  of  transportation  that  the  Government  could 
utilize,  was  appropriated  to  its  service,  and  at  that 
time  orders  were  issued  to  forward  only  necessary 
food,  clothing,  ammunition,  and  such  things  for  the 
soldiers.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  did  not  submit  to  these 
stringent  orders  without  making  some  effort  to  have 


114  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

them  changed.  Yet  to  do  this,  without  much  delay, 
was  difficult,  as  all  the  officers  whose  authority  was 
adequate  to  her  purpose  were  many  miles  beyond. 
While  she  was  deliberating  upon  the  dilemma,  she 
observed  a  train  of  mule  teams,  loaded  with  freight  for 
the  army,  about  to  start,  and  with  characteristic  de- 
termination resolved  that  her  supplies  should  go  with 
it.  She  went  immediately  to  the  master  of  transpor- 
tation, who  was  familiar  with  the  popular  name  of 
Mother  Bickerdyke,  and  succeeded  in  persuading  him 
to  allow  a  small  portion  of  her  goods  to  be  carried 
upon  each  wagon.  By  this  means  she  was  enabled 
to  convey  everything  that  was  necessary  for  immedi- 
ate use  to  its  destination.  Taking  her  seat  in  an  am- 
bulance, she  was  soon  upon  the  road  toward  the 
mountain  defiles  of  Georgia.  It  was  well  that  she 
lost  but  little  time  in  Ringolcl,  for  ere  the  long  day's 
journey  was  at  an  end,  the  ominous  roar  of  distant 
cannon  broke  like  a  discord  through  the  minor  notes 
of  bird  and  insect  life,  that  floated  upon  the  evening 
dusk. 

She  knew  too  well  the  meaning  of  those  solemn 
sounds,  and  her  face  grew  pale,  though  her  heart 
leaped  forward  at  the  tidings.  The  next  morning 
while  all  nature  was  resplendent  with  dew,  glittering 
in  the  clear  light  of  May,  she  arrived  at  the  battle- 
field of  Resaca.  Knapsacks  and  overcoats  were  piled 
in  little  pyramids  under  the  trees,  and  all  about, 
wounded  men  lay  upon  the  sod,  while  the  hospital 
tents  were  being  pitched.  One  by  one  they  were 
borne  into  these  hastily-arranged  shelters,  after 


THE  BATTLE  OF  RESACA.  115 

having  had  their  wounds  dressed  by  surgeons,  whose 
operating  tables  were  placed  under  wide-spreading 
trees,  in  the  shade  of  which  their  duties  were  per- 
formed. Ghastly  fragments  of  human  bodies  were 
piled  upon  the  ground,  and  from  this  sickening  sight, 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  turned  away  to  attend  upon  the  piti- 
able beings  who  had  suffered  such  losses. 

Kneeling  upon  the  ground,  she  bound  up  gaping 
wounds,  and  bathed  agonized  faces.  She  gave  spirits 
and  wine  to  those  who  were  fainting,  and  thus  la- 
bored until  the  field  hospitals  were  made  ready. 

Then  she  appeared  bustling  about  a  rude,  yet  well- 
supplied  kitchen,  that  seemed  to  have  sprung  into 
existence  by  means  of  such  magic  as  that  attributed 
to  Aladdin's  lamp.  Nourishing  food,  so  much  needed 
by  men  in  the  prostrate  condition  of  these  soldiers, 
was  given  to  them  freely.  To  them  it  came  as  a  to- 
ken that  even  here  they  were  within  the  reach  of  kin- 
dred and  friends.  It  was  manna  from  Heaven  in  the 
wilderness. 

In  a  short  time  the  patients  were  removed  into  the 
town  of  Resaca,  now  in  possession  of  the  Union  sol- 
diers, and  placed  in  comfortable  buildings,  appropriated 
for  military  hospital  purposes.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  re- 
mained at  her  post  of  duty  here,  while  the  valiant 
Federal  forces  were  pursuing  General  Johnston's  re- 
treating army,  and  preparing  for  another  battle. 
During  this  period,  nurses  arrived  from  the  North, 
and  the  hospitals  were  completely  organized.  Well- 
arranged  kitchens  were  prepared,  and  likewise  fine 
laundries;  so  that  proper  food  and  clothing  were  sup- 


116  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

plied  in  abundance.  This  was  accomplished  princi- 
pally through  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  enterprising  spirit 
and  ardent  zeal,  which  always  impressed  those  around 
her,  and  aroused  in  them  similar  qualities,  if  such 
were  dormant.  This  faculty  of  discovering  the  latent 
powers  of  others,  and  the  ability  to  incite  them  to  ac- 
tion, gave  every  work  in  which  she  interested  herself 
an  impetus  that  greatly  promoted  its  success. 

When  the  army  again  attacked  the  Confederates, 
this  noble  woman  was  free  to  follow  it  into  the  field, 
and  there  minister  to  the  wounded  and  dying,  with  the 
tenderness  and  efficiency  that  made  her  so  widely 
known  and  so  highly  esteemed. 

At  Kingston,  Georgia,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  labored  in 
the  hospitals,  and  there  was  much  for  her  to  do;  as 
there  were  more  than  nine  thousand  disabled  soldiers 
placed  in  them,  and  treated  until  they  were  able  to 
travel  to  the  more  salubrious  regions  of  the  North. 
Early  in  the  summer,  many  of  the  men,  not  being 
acclimated,  were  attacked  with  fever  and  sunstroke, 
and  the  cool,  airy  wards  of  the  Kingston  hospitals 
were,  to  such,  havens  of  refuge  most  eagerly  sought. 
When  suffering  from  wounds,  the  light  tent,  or  even 
the  branches  of  trees  arched  into  a  shelter,  may  be 
quite  comfortable  and  healthful  for  men  accustomed 
to  the  atmospheric  changes  of  all  seasons,  as  the 
veterans  were;  but  the  burning  agonies  of  fever  and 
sunstroke,  that  seemed  to  make  the  strongest  wither 
like  a  wilting  plant,  demand  more  careful  treatment. 

Through  the  bewildering  sensations  caused  by  fev- 
erish delirium,  the  only  things  that  calm  and  soothe 


SAVED  FROM  NEGLECT.  117 

the  troubled  'nerves,  are  cooling  potions  and  gentle 
opiates,  administered  by  the  physician  or  nurse.  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke's  caution  and  pity  enabled  her  to  save  a 
noble  young  man  from  the  most  cruel  neglect  through 
misapprehension.  Late  one  afternoon,  a  poor  fellow, 
in  a  soiled  and  dusty  uniform,  staggered  to  the  door 
and  asked  admittance  in  a  thick  and  stuttering  voice. 
His  congested  face  and  entire  appearance  were  mis- 
taken for  those  of  a  drunken  man,  and  he  was  ordered 
to  leave.  But  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  motherly  heart  re- 
belled against  this  summary  treatment. 

"  Let  the  poor  boy  have  a  chance  to  get  over  this 
plight  first,"  she  remonstrated,  and  she  soon  had  him 
placed  in  a  comfortable  cot,  when  it  was  discovered 
that  he  was  suffering  from  sunstroke.  Prompt  atten- 
tion from  the  doctors,  and  faithful  nursing,  insured 
his  recovery.  If  these  had  been  withheld  only  a  lit- 
tle longer,  this  young  soldier,  who  proved  to  be  a 
most  estimable  man,  would  have  been  lost  to  his 
friends  and  to  his  country. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  season  that  dreaded  army 
disease,  the  scurvy,  made  its  appearance,  and  de- 
manded special  treatment.  The  wagon  trains  and 
railroads  were  taxed  to  their  uttermost  capacity,  and 
yet  could  not  transport  sufficient  quantities  of  vege- 
tables to  supply  the  soldiers.  Later,  when  summer's 
fervid  sunbeams  had  dissolved  the  mists  and  filled  the 
woodlands  with  wild  fruit  and  flowers,  the  disorder 
disappeared.  On  the '  banks  of  the  streams  grew 
clumps  of  thorny  blackberry  bushes,  and  the  soldiers 
sought  them  as  eagerly  as  school-boys,  for  the  sprays 


118  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

that  bent  down  to  the  very  water's  brink  with  the 
weight  of  sweet,  ripe  berries.  Broad  fields  of  corn 
next  offered  roasting  ears,  thickly  set  with  plump, 
milky  kernels;  and  after  this  the  army  had  an  abun- 
dance of  such  food. 

The  dense  woods  that  mantled  the  rough  and  un- 
frequented vales  and  ridges  stretching  southeast  to 
Atlanta,  were  filled  with  the  soldiers  of  both  the 
Northern  and  Southern  armies.  The  Confederate 
columns  were  constantly  driven  from  stronghold  to 
stronghold  while  the  boys  in  blue  advanced.  But 
every  foot  of  the  ground  they  gained,  was  hotly  dis- 
puted and  dearly  won.  Rocks  and  trees,  hastily 
thrown  up  embankments  of  earth,  and  every  species 
of  cover  available,  served  as  shelters  from  which  the 
contending  armies  fought  in  a  continuous  battle, 
waged  by  strong  skirmish  lines  that  often  stretched 
across  ten  miles  of  the  rugged  creek-veined  country. 
The  sounds  of  musketry  and  artillery  tortured  the 
air  every  hour,  for  night  stayed  not  the  soldiers' 
hands.  It  was  a  strange  and  terrible  warfare.  Only 
glimpses  of  each  other  from  behind  the  formidable 
defenses  could  the  opposing  soldiers  obtain;  and  these 
were  frequently  as  mysterious  and  uncertain  as  the 
delusive  objects  glimmering  in  a  mirage. 

Through  the  centuries  long  gone  by,  savages  waged 
their  barbarous  wars  within  those  woodlands.  The 
startling  Indian  whoop  and  whir  of  arrows  sounded 
through  the  stately  vistas,  in  which  the  painted  com- 
batants may  have  appeared  to  each  other  and  van- 
ished again,  with  the  impish  uncertainty  characteristic 


DRIVEN  FROM  STRONGHOLD  TO  STRONGHOLD.     119 

of  their  wild  and  cruel  natures.  Now  their  bones  lay 
crumbling  within  the  mounds  that  rise  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Etowah  River,  murmuring  through  the 
glades  at  no  great  distance.  The  race  which  drove 
them  from  their  battle-grounds  now  pursue  upon  the 
same  fields  as  fierce  a  strife,  in  somewhat  the  same 
manner,  yet  far  more  deadly  and  grand;  for  these 
warriors  vastly  outnumber  the  red  men  who  fought, 
and  they  are  superbly  equipped  with  weapons  of  ter- 
rific might,  perfected  by  the  art  and  science  of  all 
ages.  Their  formidable  trenches  wrinkle  the  ground, 
and  their  charges  are  unrivaled  in  either  boldness  or 
.strategy. 

On  toward  Dallas,  our  forces  pressed  through  the 
dense  woods,  over  the  sharp  ridges,  across  the  streams, 
and  along  the  winding,  rut-seamed  wagon  roads,  that 
converged  toward  the  Confederate  strongholds.  •  At 
the  place  called  "New  Hope,"  from  the  church  of 
that  name,  which  held  its  spire  aloft  among  the  trees 
that  fringed  the  cross-roads  there,  a  spirited  engage- 
ment took  place.  It  began  late  in  the  afternoon,  on 
the  25th  of  May.  The  fighting  was  continued  until 
night  was  far  advanced,  when  from  the  black  storm 
clc.uds,  lowering  in  the  heavens,  heavy  rains  fell,  put- 
ting an  end  to  the  conflict;  but  the  next  day  it  was 
recommenced,  and  raged  throughout  the  week.  Dur- 
ing this  time  so  much  suffering  was  endured,  and  so 
many  fell  killed  or  wounded,  that  the  soldiers  called 
the  place  "  Hell  Hole." 

Men  were  borne  to  the  rear  constantly,  and  soon  a 
vast  field  hospital  appeared  in  the  woods,  but  a  short 


120  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

distance  from  the  line  of  battle.  Thousands  were 
gathered  here,  as  the  prolonged  and  cruel  strife  was 
continued.  Som,e  were  carried  through  the  rain,  and 
left  upon  the  muddy  ground,  in  their  splashed  and 
dripping  garments,  to  await  the  attention  of  the  sur- 
geons, who  were  greatly  overworked.  The  discom- 
forts and  difficulties  occasioned  by  the  storms,  caused 
delays  and  sickness,  adding  to  the  terrors  and  dis- 
asters to  which  the  soldiers  were  subjected,  and  re- 
tarding the  progress  of  their  exciting  victories.  Still 
burning  with  the  thirst  for  triumph,  each  man  did 
valiantly  his  part,  and  often  won  a  palm  of  glory  for 
some  daring  feat;  or  perhaps  sheathed -within  his 
quivering  flesh,  a  missile  that  laid  him  low  with  the 
wounded  and  dying. 

One  of  the  latter,  whose  experience  may  serve  as  a 
prototype  for  many,  was  in  ambush  behind  a  cluster 
of  tall  ferns  and  shrubbery,  through  which  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  sending  several  bullets  into  the  brown 
homespun  of  more  than  one  Southerner.  Growing 
less  cautious,  as  the  glow  of  excitement  pervaded  his 
being,  he  straightened  his  tall  figure  for  a  moment  so 
that  he  became  visible  to  some  one  of  the  enemy,  con- 
cealed in  the  woods  before  him.  In  an  instant  he 
heard  the  whiz  of  a  bullet,  then  of  several,  and  felt  a 
sting  across  his  cheek  and  along  his  arm,  as  if  a  whip 
lash  had  struck  him.  The  world  grew  dark  as  he 
dropped  upon  the  ground,  and  he  felt  his  own  warm 
blood  in  his  eyes  and  upon  his  hands,  as  he  tried  to 
clear  his  vision.  When  consciousness  returned,  dim 
slanting  raindrops  beating  into  his  face,  and  through 


THE  WOUNDED  SOLDIER.  121 

the  trees,  gave  his  surroundings  the  weird  character  of 
a  dream.  Wounded  men  were  lying  upon  the  grass 
all  about  him,  and  a  few  soldiers  and  negroes  were 
removing  these  as  rapidly  as  possible.  His  turn 
came,  and  soon  he  was  placed  upon  the  table  in  a 
surgeon's  tent,  where  again  unconsciousness  merci- 
fully conquered  pain  with  oblivion.  His  arm  was 
amputated;  then  followed  weary  days,  during  which 
he  slowly  recovered  from  his  injuries.  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  came  through  the  rain  to  his  tent  with  bread 
and  wine.  Drops  of  water  trembled  like  beads  upon 
her  hood,  and  her  dress  was  damp  and  mudsplashed, 
still  her  voice  rang  pleasantly,  arid  her  words  were 
patient  and  kind,  as  though  she  felt  no  discomfort. 
Fever  soon  set  in,  and  for  a  long  time  he  lingered 
upon  the  verge  of  death.  Through  the  painful  wan- 
derings of  delirium,  tfie  knowledge  of  her  watchful 
care,  and  faith  in  her  skill,  seemed  to  sustain  him, 
and  when  the  fever  left  him,  though  faint  and  ex- 
hausted, he  recognized  in  her  face  the  maternal  love 
and  devotion  that  had  been  the  means  of  saving  his 
life.  Thus  she  labored  here  in  much  the  same  man- 
ner that  had  distinguished  her  course  amid  the  pain- 
ful scenes  through  which  she  had  previously  passed. 
Besides,  the  experience  gleaned  from  those  fields, 
facilitated  the  progress  of  every  branch  of  her  work 
here. 

After  preparing  all  of  the  delicacies  that  could  be 
obtained,  as  well  as  wholesome  food  of  an  ordinary 
nature,  she  spent  the  hours  in  which  she  might  have 
rested,  at  the  side  of  some  feeble  and  suffering  soldier. 


122  MOTHER  BICK.ERDYKE. 

Enough  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  the  good  her  en- 
couraging words  and  cheerful  presence  did  those  who 
came  within  her  sphere  of  action.  She  was  often 
told  that  her  care  was  more  potent  to  cure  than  med- 
icine; and  being  so  strong  and  energetic,  she  visited 
the  thousands  around  her  almost  daily.  Much  leisure 
for  this  purpose  was  gained  through  her  magnetic 
influence  over  all  whom  she  assumed  to  command. 
A  small  force  of  negroes  went  and  came  at  her  bid- 
ding, as  if  magnetized  by  her  will;  and  convalescent 
patients  delighted  to  show  their  gratitude  by  un- 
wearying efforts  in  her  service.  She  directed  those 
about  her  so  naturally  and  gracefully,  that  obedience 
to  her  wishes  seemed  offered  rather  than  exacted. 
Like  others  gifted  with  a  faculty  of  commanding,  she 
could  attend  to  a  variety  of  details  with  rapidity  and 
success. 

Every  day  five  hundred  loaves  of  light,  delicious 
bread  were  baked  under  her  supervision.  She  peeped 
into  the  jars  of  foamy  yeast  to  ascertain  if  it  was  ex- 
actly right,  and  never  failed  to  examine  the  dough 
while  rising.  Passing  her  hand  rapidly  along  the 
warm,  smooth  loaves,  she  could  tell  with  the  exactness 
gained  from  experience  when  they  were  ready  for 
the  oven;  and  the  dusky  members  of  her  devoted 
retinue  credited  her  with  witch-like  powers,  declaring 
that  if  she  did  not  "  try  the  dough  the  bread  was 
sure  to  be  bad." 

No  interruption  was  occasioned  to  her  bakery,  by 
the  removal  of  a  hospital,  or  when  traveling  was  neces- 
sary. The  dough  was  set  to  rise,  and  kept  warm  by 


BAKING  BREAD.  123 

means  of  blankets,  while  being  moved  in  the  wag- 
ons. At  evening  it  was  baked  as  usual.  This  was 
accomplished  by  means  of  a  portable  oven  which  the 
soldiers  had  prepared  of  bricks,  each  one  being  in- 
geniously numbered,  so  that  the  oven  could  be  read- 
ily taken  apart  or  put  together.  From  early  dawn 
until  long  after  night-fall,  roaring  fires  burned  red  in 
the  wide  fire-place  attached  to  it.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke 
arranged  in  these  woods  a  laundry,  somewhat  resem- 
bling that  which  she  had  superintended  at  Corinth, 
and  the  negroes,  under  her  direction,  performed  a 
prodigious  amount  of  work  here,  and  in  the  gypsy- 
like  kitchen. 

The  purpose  for  which  she  accompanied  General 
Sherman's  army  was  successfully  accomplished,  for 
the  wholesome  food  and  clean  clothing  she  thus  sup- 
plied in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  assisted  greatly 
in  saving  the  lives  of  the  sick  and  wounded;  and  be- 
sides, the  charm  of  her  powers,  diffused  even  about 
this  wild  habitation  of  pain,  something  of  home-like 
comfort  and  celestial  peace. 


ALLATOONA  PASS  AND  KENESAW  MOUNTAIN — MARIETTA — "THE 
TWINS,"  OR  "THE  BABIES"— EVER  ALERT— "THE  GATE  CITY 
OF  THE  SOUTH" — THEBATTLE  OF  ATLANTA— SANITARY  FAIRS- 
MRS.  BICKERDYKE'S  INFLUENCE— THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA- 
WILMINGTON — PRISONERS  FROM  FLORENCE  AND  ANDERSON- 
VILLE— THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  THE  CAROLINAS— "  BUMMERS" — 
KILPATRICK'S  CAVALRYMEN— BEAUFORT— THE  Cows  REVIEW 
— ON  BOARD  THE  RIVER  QUEEN. 


NWARD  swept  the  conquering 
army,  driving  the  Confederates 
from  their  fortified  positions.  Cass- 
ville,  Allatoona,  and  Dallas  were 
taken,  one  by  one,  during  the  latter 
part  of  May,  and  the  first  days  of  June 
found  the  Union  soldiers  strong  and 
ambitious,  and  still  advancing  against 
their  foes,  who  had  retreated  to  the 
famous  heights  of  Kenesaw  Mountain.  Although 
so  glorious,  the  costs  of  their  triumphs  demand  a  tear, 
for  besides  the  vast  numbers  who  had  been  left  sleep- 
ing their  last  sleep  in  the  lonely,  ravaged  woodlands, 
no  less  than  13,000  had  been  wounded,  and  most  of 
(124) 


KENESAW  MOUNTAIN.  125 

these  lay  languishing  in  the  rude  tents  of  the  field 
hospitals,  still  within  hearing  of  the  ceaseless  sounds 
of  battle. 

The  early  summer  was  not  distinguished  by  balmy 
weather  and  blue  skies,  such  as  usually  render  that 
season  so  delightful,  yet  little  restraint  was  imposed 
upon  the  progress  of  victory.  Ere  the  Fourth  of 
July  permitted  every  loyal  heart  to  swell  with  the  joy  of 
again  celebrating  the  anniversary  of  our  national  in- 
dependence, the  star-spangled  banner  floated  upon 
the  peaks  of  Kenesaw  and  Lost  Mountains,  planted 
there  by  the  gallant  Federal  soldiers.  They  had  also 
captured  Marietta,  and  were  pursuing  their  antago- 
nists southward  toward  the  Chattahoochee  River. 

While  the  weeks  were  passing,  the  scenes  by  which 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  surrounded  became  more  pain- 
ful and  trying  every  day.  Sunstroke  and  fever  added 
their  victims  to  the  many  who  were  brought  wounded 
to  the  tents  and  buildings  used  as  hospitals.  A  large 
number  were  sent  to  their  homes  and  to  various  mili- 
tary hospitals  in  the  North,  as  soon  as  they  could  be 
moved  with  safety;  but  so  continuous  and  fierce  were 
the  conflicts  at  the  front,  that  the  labors  of  the  sur- 
geons and  nurses,  engaged  in  the  field  hospitals,  were 
not  diminished. 

At  Marietta  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  assisted  in  organizing 
a  hospital  large  enough  to  accommodate  1,800 
wounded  men,  who  were  lying  upon  the  ground,  ex- 
posed to  the  burning  summer  heats,  and  malarial 
night  dews.  Dr.  A.  Goslin,  late  surgeon  48th  Illinois 
Volunteers,  who  had  charge  of  this',  the  I5th  A.  C. 


126  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

field  hospital,  says:  "  Her  services  were  simply  in- 
dispensable. I  could  not  have  conducted  it  without 
her." 

Here  two  very  interesting  patients  were  placed  un- 
der her  care.  They  had  been  nick-named  "  the  twins," 
because  their  friendship  was  so  remarkably  deep;  and 
also,  "  the  babies,"  on  account  of  their  extremely 
helpless  condition.  One  had  lost  his  leg,  and  the 
other  was  stricken  with  fever.  Side  by  side  they  lay 
in  their  narrow  cots,  offering  mutual  comfort  and  as- 
sistance, in  a  manner  so  feeble  and  weak  that  the 
sight  was  most  pathetic.  It  appealed  strongly  to  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke's  maternal  sympathies,  and  she  became 
indeed  a  mother  to  the  "  poor,  helpless  boys,"  as  she 
called  them.  Their  youthful  faces,  so  pitifully  thin 
and  worn  from  suffering,  beamed  with  smiles  at  her 
approach,  and  "  Mother  Bickerdyke"  was  constantly 
among  the  words  which  they  murmured  to  each 
other. 

Nelson  Hemplemen,  the  one  afflicted  with  fever, 
succumbed  to  the  disease,  dying  like  some  flower  cut 
off  by  that  Southern  blight,  which  destroyed  so  many 
in  those  terrible  summers  of  the  war.  The  other, 
whose  name  was  J.  S.  Eastwood,  recovered  through 
Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  tender  devotion,  which  had  also 
soothed  his  comrade  during  wearisome  days  of  pain, 
to  the  very  hour  of  his  death.  Mr.  Eastwood's  grati- 
tude to  her  knew  no  bounds,  and  through  all  the  years 
that  have  come  and  gone  since,  he  has  remained  one 
of  her  most  sincere  friends.  He  describes  some  of 
her  noble  self-sacrifices  enthusiastically: — 


MRS.  BICKERDYKE'S  INFLUENCE.        -      127 

"  I  have  known  Mother  Bickerdyke  to  come  to  our 
ward  long  after  midnight,  for  the  purpose  of  relieving 
a  suffering  soldier  who  was  bleeding  to  death  while 
the  doctors  and  nurses  were  wrapt  in  slumber.  They 
drew  their  pay  whether  awake  or  asleep,  so  would 
sleep  on  unless  called,  but  she  was  ever  alert  to  catch 
the  faintest  sound  of  distress,  and  to  her  timely  ef- 
forts many  of  my  comrades  are  indebted  for  their 
lives." 

The  wonderful  oven,  the  great  laundry,  and  the 
brave,  cheerful  woman  who  presided  over  them,  be- 
sides nursing  as  many  of  the  sick  and  wounded  as 
though  she  did  nothing  else,  became  more  widely 
known  and  appreciated  every  day.  A  soldier  could 
not  be  met  who  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  of 
Mother  Bickerdyke.  She  was  in  the  midst  of  her 
duties,  and  still  they  kept  accumulating  around  her 
in  such  multitudes  that  one  less  courageous  would 
have  been  dismayed. 

Across  the  landscapes  glimmering  in  the  heat,  the 
frowning  defenses  of  Atlanta  were  seen.  General 
Sherman's  valiant  soldiers,  determined  to  take  this 
"Gate  City  of  the  South,"  besieged  it  night  and  day. 
Shells  and  balls  were  poured  into  the  streets  without 
intermission,  and  the  buildings  frequently  catching 
fire,  blackened  the  sultry  air  with  clouds  of  smoke  that 
seemed  ominous  of  its  doom. 

The  field  hospital  in  the  vicinity  covered  thirty 
acres  of  ground,  and  sheltered  thousands  of  sick  and 
wounded  men.  Throughout  the  long  summer,  from 
dawn,  when  the  blazing  day-star  made  every  cloud 


128  MOTHER  BICKERDVKE. 

blush  and  disappear,  to  the  sunset  hour,  others  still 
were  brought  in  to  increase  the  lists  of  patients,  and 
swell  the  cares  of  those  who  attended  upon  them- 
Faithful  watchers  grew  tired  and  faint  at  their  duty, 
through  the  long,  oppressive  heat  of  day,  which  was 
diminished  so  little  by  the  coming  of  night,  that  the 
difference  was  scarcely  perceptible.  Yet  Mrs.  Bick- 
erdyke  was  able  to  continue  her  work  with  unflagging 
energy.  The  good  she  did  can  never  be  fully  known, 
nor  adequately  r  warded,  for  she  saved  to  the  Govern- 
ment not  only  thousands  of  dollars,  but  the  lives  of 
many  brave  soldiers.  What  she  restored  to  yearning 
and  waiting  hearts,  and  to  whom  she  preserved  the 
joy  of  life  and  health,  only  the  countless  numbers 
who  possess  these  blessings  through  her  toil  and  self- 
sacrifice  can  estimate. 

It  would  be  fruitless  to  attempt  a  description  of  all 
that  is  worthy  of  note  in  her  devotion  to  the  private 
soldiers;  and  the  past  proves  that  she  was  as  constant 
and  faithful  in  her  labors  for  the  officers  as  she  was 
to  her  favorites. 

A  young  corporal,  Alvin  Wait,  of  Company  D, 
12/th  Illinois  Volunteers  Infantry,  may  be  remem- 
bered as  one  whose  life  she  saved  at  Marietta.  He 
was  placed  in  a  ward  appropriated  to  those  who  were 
mortally  wounded.  This  promising  young  man  of 
twenty  years  lay  crushed  and  half  unconscious,  await- 
ing only  the  relief  which  death  brings,  when  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  came  to  him,  and  applied  every  means  of 
healing  known  to  her  skill.  Recollections  of  her  are 
clearly  defined  among  the  misty  visions  which  con- 


LIVES  SAVED.  129 

nect  themselves  with  the  hours  of  agony  he  endured 
there.  Her  kind  face  came  and  went  like  that  of 
some  visitant  from  the  realms  of  hope  and  peace, 
bringing  with  her  the  life-giving  essence  of  her  native 
climes.  She  was  untiring  in  her  efforts  to  relieve  the 
sufferings  of  even  those  who  had  been  marked  by  the 
destroying  angel  for  his  own,  and,  as  in  this  instance, 
she  often  snatched,  before  his  sweeping  sickle  fell, 
what  others  had  deemed  impossible  to  save  from  his 
garner. 

A  detailed  description  of  interesting  scenes  and 
occurrences  that  took  place  in  these  abodes  of  suffer- 
ing, would  fill  volumes.  The  most  quaint  and  ro- 
mantic circumstances  arose  to  engage  the  attention 
of  those  who  might  be  observant  of  such  things; 
while  others  were  so  sad  and  terrible  that  tears  wrung 
from  the  very  heart's  core  seemed  vain  emblems  of 
the  sorrow  which  they  only  half  expressed.  Although 
Mrs.Bickerdyke  witnessed  these  cruel  sights  day  in 
and  day  out  through  continuous  months,  she  never 
became  hardened  in  the  least  with  regard  to  them. 
Her  sympathies  were  always  as  delicately  sensitive 
to  the  pathetic  and  touching  incidents  constantly 
arising,  as  though  they  had  been  rare,  and  those  ten- 
der chords  that  vibrate  in  response  to  another's  woe, 
seldom  awakened. 

The  22d  of  July  was  distinguished  by  the  battle  of 
Atlanta.  Strong  Confederate  forces  attacked  boldly 
and  repeatedly  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  then 
commanded  by  General  McPherson.  During  the 
conflict,  which  lasted  from  noon  until  late  in  the  sul- 
9 


130  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

try  summer  night,  the  fighting  was  fierce,  and  the 
slaughter  terrible.  This  engagement  resulted  in  a 
repulse  of  the  enemy,  but  victory  was  gained  at  a 
fearful  cost.  General  McPherson,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  noble  and  highly  admired  men  in  the  Union 
Army,  was  killed  while  riding  at  some  distance  ahead 
of  his  staff  and  orderlies.  He  was  passing  through  a 
dense  grove  and  coming  suddenly  upon  an  ambus- 
cade of  the  enemy  was  shot  dead.  Beside  this  loss, 
hundreds  of  brave  soldiers  fell,  following  their  leader 
fearlessly  into  the  "  valley  of  the  shadow." 

General  Logan  who  assumed  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  was  fully  competent  to  per- 
form the  responsible  duties  thus  suddenly  thrust  upon 
him;  and  as  this  army  fought  the  battle  almost  un- 
aided, the  victory  was  to  him  a  gallantly-won  laurel 
set  with  glory  which  adds  greatly  to  the  luster  of  his 
fame.  While  he  was  pressing  on  to  triumph  in  the 
field  of  action,  the  promising  young  General  McPher- 
son lay  cold  and  still  upon  a  rude  bier  in  the  Howard 
House.  But  here  no  solemn  hush  prevailed  out  of 
respect  to  the  presence  of  the  honored  dead,  for  many 
shots  from  the  scene  of  strife  struck  the  building  and 
threatened  its  destruction.  For  this  reason  General 
Sherman  ordered  the  body  to  be  taken  for  immedi- 
ate safety  to  the  hospital,  and  so  it  became  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke's  duty  to  compose  the  handsome  features 
of  this  young  man  thus  cruelly  blasted  by  death  in 
the  splendor  of  his  prime. 

Gently  she  closed  his  eyes  in  his  last  sleep.  Her 
pity  went  forth  to  that  mother  so  soon  to  be  stricken 


THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA.  131 

with  grief.  With  thoughtful  tenderness  she  selected 
some  relic  which  she  knew  would  be  treasured  by  one 
who  had  loved  him  so  fondly.  The  coat  he  had  worn 
was  pierced  by  the  ball  that  had  taken  his  life,  and 
was  stained  with  his  heart's  blood;  so  she  washed  it 
with  her  own  hands  and  sent  it  with  a  message  to  his 
bereaved  mother  by  a  soldier  who  was  going  directly 
to  her  home  in  Clyde,  Ohio. 

In  the  autumn,  General  Sherman  decided  to  sever 
all  connection  with  his  base  and  undertake  the  grand 
march  to  the  sea.  Extraordinary  efforts  were  made 
to  select  for  this  expedition  only  such  soldiers  as 
were  able-bodied,  experienced,  and  capable  of  vigor- 
ous action.  The  sick  and  wounded  were  sent  to 
Chattanooga  and  to  other  military  hospitals  further 
north,  or  to  their  homes.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  remained 
upon  the  scene  of  her  labors  until  the  very  night  of 
the  evacuation  of  Atlanta  by  the  Union  army.  Trees 
and  intervening  hills  shut  away  from  her  view  the 
hideous  sight  of  its  destruction;  yet  the  sounds  of 
bursting  shells  came  faintly  to  her  ears,  recalling  the 
conflicts  that  had  raged  there  all  through  the  sultry 
summer;  and  a  glare  of  lurid  light  fringed  the  hori- 
zon in  its  direction  with  an  angry  line  of  red.  Above 
the  smouldering  ruins  a  huge  column  of  black  smoke 
hung  like  a  pall,  and  thus  the  doomed  city  faded 
from  view.  Those  who  had  conquered  and  crushed  it 
marched  on  with  shouts  and  martial  music.  Mingling 
with  these  spirited  strains,  the  voices  of  60,000  veterans 
swelled  in  the  measures  of  their  favorite  battle 
songs.  The  strong  and  thrilling  notes  reverberated 


132  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

through  the  hills  of  Georgia,  as  the  legion  swept 
on,  feasting  upon  the  garnered  stores  of  their  foes, 
whose  bosoms  they  rilled  with  terror  and  dismay. 

Away  from  the  forests  and  cities,  marked  by  the 
devastation  of  war,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  traveled,  her 
mind  still  busy  with  plans  for  the  future.  She  had 
grown  thin,  and  her  countenance  revealed  less  of 
freshness  and  color  than  perfect  health  always  gives, 
The  hard  and  wearing  toils  and  the  desperate  scenes 
of  strife  which  had  so  lately  marked  her  experience 
already  began  to  slumber  in  her  memory  with  the 
softened  and  dissolving  outlines  that  characterize 
dreams.  Clear  sunlight  andjthe  bracing  Northern  air, 
sharp  and  pure  with  the  breath  of  autumnal  frost, 
gave  her  an  undefined  feeling  of  exhilaration,  which 
made  the  prospect  before  her  seem  one  brilliant  vision 
of  promise. 

She  went  to  Philadelphia  where  she  obtained  large 
supplies  of  sanitary  goods,  and  to  numerous  smaller 
cities  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  still  more.  These 
she  distributed  to  soldiers  in  military  hospitals,  and 
to  those  in  winter  quarters  who  were  frequently  as 
much  in  want  of  them  as  the  helpless  sufferers  lying 
in  hospital  wards. 

The  first  great  Sanitary  Fair,  held  in  Chicago,  dur- 
ing the  fall  of  1863,  had  been  discussed  in  every  paper 
and  periodical.  It  had  awakened  enthusiasm  through- 
out the  whole  North,  for  its  success  had  resulted  in 
larger  benefits  to  the  sanitary  cause,  than  even  its 
most  sanguine  well-wishers  had  anticipated.  Contri- 
butions had  poured  in  from  places  far  and  near  all 


THE  SANITARY  FAIR.  133 

over  the  Union.  The  procession  that  had  formed  to 
deliver  gifts  on  the  opening  day  was  estimated  to 
be  over  three  miles  in  length. 

Rare  and  priceless  treasures  were  lent  for  the 
adornment  of  this  fair,  and  the  numerous  others  that 
followed  it,  making  the  departments  unique  and  fas- 
cinating with  a  splendor  that  might  rival  the  oriental 
'magnificence  of  a  Turkish  palace.  All  that  the  most 
successful  business  ability,  and  woman's  matchless 
power,  could  do,  was  done  to  promote  the  success  of 
this  patriotic  undertaking, 

The  gift  which  perhaps  was  the  most  remarkable 
and  far  reaching  in  its  results  was  the  original  draught 
of  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  from  President 
Lincoln.  This  precious  document,  bestowed  by  that 
hand  which  was  always  stretched  forth  in  behalf  of 
justice  and  humanity,  was  sold  for  $3,000.  A  worthy 
use  was  .made  of  this  sum,  for  it  proved  to  be  a 
golden  magnet  that  soon  attracted  to  itself  enough 
to  build  the  Home  for  Llinois  soldiers. 

By  means  of  this  fair  the  marvelous  sum  of  nearly 
$100,000  was  obtained,  to  be  distributed  through  the 
Northwestern  Branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission. 
Besides,  it  proved  a  conspicuous  example,  which 
prompted  efforts  of  the  same  kind  in  co  mtless  other 
places,  where  the  fairs  were  upon  a  scale  in  keeping 
with  the  number  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  amount  of 
good  done  by  them  was  large.  In  this  way  a  pleas- 
ant source  of  profit  was  made  the  means  of  recre- 
ation that  could  be  enjoyed  with  sentiments  of  char- 
ity and  patriotism. 


134  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  very  influential  in  assisting 
and  stimulating  the  people  who  made  efforts  of  this 
kind  to  serve  our  country.  Little  fairs  were  held  in 
church  parlors,  and  in  appropriate  halls  hired  for  the 
purpose.  Young  girls,  in  their  costumes  of  bright 
wool,  wore  picturesque  aprons  of  lawn  and  lace,  tied 
with  coquettish  bows,  knotted  of  ribbons  of  red,  white, 
and  blue.  They  brought  cups  of  fragrant  coffee 
about  upon  trays,  in  the  center  of  which  were  piled 
pyramids  of  delicious  sandwiches  and  crisp  cakes. 
Offering  these  refreshments  to  the  guests,  they  accu- 
mulated little  heaps  of  small  change  in  the  place  of 
their  dainties.  The  fair  tables  were  attractive  on 
these  occasions,  being  decorated  with  flags,  and  cov- 
ered with  an  indescribable  mass  of  useful  and  orna- 
mental things,  but  the  pretty  girl  who  dealt  in  these 
articles  seemed  to  influence  trade  more  than  her 
wares.  Like  the  English  beauty  who  sold  a  rose  for 
a  sovereign,  the  maid  at  a  table  often  held  out  some 
brilliant  scarf  or  soft  handkerchief,  and  obtained  for 
it  ten  times  as  much  as  its  intrinsic  value.  Perhaps 
her  winning  smile,  or  sweetly  expressed  explanation 
as  to  the  object  of  its  price,  opened  the  purse  strings 
of  some  penurious  old  person  who  would  not  have 
thought  of  buying  under  other  circumstances. 

Many  leisure  hours  and  long  evenings  were  spent 
by  active  young  girls  in  preparing  salable  articles  for 
these  fairs.  Afternoons  were  passed  by  little  compa- 
nies of  them,  engaged  upon  the  same  kind  of  work, 
and  when  a  fair  was  held,  their  blooming  faces  and 
joyous  spirits  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  success 


AT  THE  FAIRS.  135 

of  the  enterprise.  Here,  at  least,  all  fun-loving  beings 
found  a  welcome,  and  they  held  high  carnival.  Shin- 
ing coins  and  crumpled  notes  slipped  through  their 
rosy  fingers,  giving  them  as  much  pleasure,  appar- 
ently, as  though  designed  for  symbols  of  their  inno- 
cent witchery,  as  well  as  the  hard-earned  price  of 
their  generous  work.  If  the  boys  who  wore  the  blue 
could  have  known  how  enthusiastic  were  those  patri- 
otic women  to  help  and  comfort  them  amid  their 
hardships,  it  would  have  brightened  many  a  dark 
hour  with  pleasurable  thoughts.  Gain  for  them  was 
to  these  merry  girls  the  cap  sheaf  of  success.  The 
fairest  one  among  them,  however  bright  her  glance 
and  captivating  her  smile,  could  scarcely  compete 
with  Mother  Bickerdyke  in  this  vivacious  and  good- 
natured  rivalry.  Her  fame  was  a  spell  which  few 
could  resist,  and  if  it  did  not  prove  the  "open  ses- 
ame'' to  noble  and  generous  sentiments,  her  stirring 
words,  and  the  sight  of  her  countenance,  animated 
with  earnest  and  cheerful  expressions,  obtained  what 
other  influences  failed  to  procure.  By  sjme  mysteri- 
ous means,  she  always  possessed  a  reserve  store  of 
whatever  was  necessary  in  her  work,  and  so  never 
lost  an  opportunity  of  helping  those  who  needed  her 
aid. 

Winter  came,  and  the  frost  sprites  wrought  their 
usual  change  in  the  landscapes,  covering  them  with  a 
mantle  as  pure  and  light  as  ermine,  and  by  their 
elfish  strategems,  driving  every  one  to  the  glowing 
fireside.  Mingled  with  the  enchantigg  fairy  tales  and 
legendary  lore,  which  the  holiday  season  revives  each 


136  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

year  with  a  never-failing  charm,  came  rumors  of 
General  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea.  The  dazzling 
imagery  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  made  real  in  the 
heart  of  the  new  world,  could  scarcely  entrance  those 
who  might  listen  to  accounts  of  the  wonder,  with  a 
more  engrossing  interest  than  did  the  news  of  this 
triumphant  expedition. 

The  march  through  Georgia  was  a  grand  success; 
and  the  city  of  Savannah,  looking  out  on  the  blue 
waters  of  the  broad  Atlantic,  was  in  possession  of 
the  gallant  United  States  soldiers.  Union  anthems 
echoed  through  the  streets,  and  the  stars  and  stripes 
of  the  national  ensign  waved  once  more  on  the 
Southern  breeze. 

The  news  of  these  victories  were  received  by  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  as  messages  inviting  her  again  to  her 
chosen  fields.  She  went  immediately  to  New  York, 
and  from  thence  sailed  for  the  South,  where,  amid 
the  stately  groves  and  broad  savannas  of  an  unfriendly 
land,  brave  men  were  languishing  in  hospitals  and 
prisons.  Her  helpful  hand  was  stretched  out  to  them 
amid  these  unfamiliar  scenes,  and  on  this  account  was 
thrice  welcome.  Drizzling  rains  swept  up  from  the 
sea,  and  made  the  long,  green  moss  that  clung  to  the 
aged  oaks,  seem  like  tattered  and  tear-stained  crape. 
How  different  was  this  from  the  prairies  and  forests 
which  she  had  left,  all  crisp  and  sparkling  with  mill- 
ions of  crystalline  frost  heads  and  glittering  icicles! 
The  joys  of  home  and  fond  companionship  she  had 
exchanged  for  the  gloomy  hospital  wards,  which  were 
her  dwelling-places;  but  homesick  feelings  were  soon 


THE  MARCH  THROUGH  GEORGIA.  137 

dispersed  by  the  grateful  words  and  looks  of  those  to 
whom  she  ministered.  Besides,  her  motive,  the  same 
as  theirs,  was  to  assist  in  conquering  the  Rebe.lion. 

At  Wilmington  she  took  care  of  a  large  number  of 
Union  soldiers  who  had  been  rescued  from  Ander- 
sonville  and  Florence  prisons.  The  fearful  sufferings 
of  the  captives  at  Anderson vi  lie  have  been  so  graph- 
ically described,  that  to  recount  their  misfortunes  or 
delineate  their  horrible  tr  als,  seems  an  unnecessary 
task.  Men,  weakened  in  body  from  starvation  and 
confinement  in  a  noisome  atmosphere,  become  as 
much  altered  in  their  minds  and  dispositions  as  they 
are  physically  changed.  They  grow  as  fretful  and 
peevish  as  little  children,  and  lose  all  idea  of  the 
relative  importance  of  things.  When  hungry  and 
weary,  Esau  exchanged  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of 
pottage;  and,  like  him,  they  frequently  attribute  value 
to  what  is  of  little  importance,  while  the  ruling  aims 
of  life  may  be  lost  sight  of  altogether.  Considering 
this,  it  is  remarkable,  that  so  few  forgot  the  exalted 
motives  that  made  them  don  the  blue  and  follow 
their  country's  flag  into  the  perils  of  civil  warfare. 
Though  tempted  by  such  invitations  and  bribes  as 
they  were  least  able  to  withstand,  they  continued  'o 
sink  in  weakness  and  pain  with  the  jewel  of  honor 
still  bright  and  untarnished  upon  their  bosoms. 

Professor  John  G.  Lemmon,  formerly  of  the  ist 
Michigan  Cavalry,  and  who  has  since  become  noted 
as  a  botanist  in  California,  was  one  of  the  1 1,000 
Union  soldiers  confined  in  Florence  Prison,  South 
Carolina.  He  pictures  the  woes  that  fell  to  their 


138  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

lot  as  only  one  who  has  shared  such  misery  could. 
The  crowded  and  half-starved  men  were  entirely  ex- 
posed to  the  weather,  and  often  had  to  pace  all 
night  the  narrow  limits  of  the  space  to  which  they 
were  restrained,  to  keep  from  freezing. 

A  description  of  their  ragged  and  soiled  garments, 
of  their  poor  mud  hovels,  and  of  their  scanty  food, 
makes  a  painful  story  indeed;  but  the  most  cruel  feat- 
ures of  their  misfortunes  were  the  tauntings  and 
temptations  to  which  they  were  subjected.  Their 
jailers  came  to  them  each  day  with  such  words  as 
these: — 

"  Are  you  hungry  ?  Look  at  me,  and  say  whether 
you  would  like  to  eat  such  food  as  I  do  or  not  ?  Arc 
you  cold  ?  Look  at  my  warm  clothes  and  tell  me 
how  a  rig  of  this  kind  would  suit  you  ?  Outside  the 
gates  the  air  is  sweet  and  fresh;  and  there  is  plenty 
to  eat  and  to  wear.  Only  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  Confederacy,  and  freedom  is  yours." 

He  who  could  not  be  enticed  by  such  allurements, 
when  so  miserably  reduced  in  all  temporal  conditions, 
as  these  men  were,  is  truly  like  gold  that  has  been 
tried  in  the  fire. 

Among  such  sufferers,  weak  and  emaciated  in  body, 
and  feeble  in  mind,  so  far  as  petty  annoyances  were 
concerned,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  a  pillar  of  strength. 
Besides  she  moved  among  them  like  a  mother,  re- 
garding as  tenderly  their  fretful  desires,  and  respond- 
ing as  patiently  to  their  groundless  complaints. 

General  Sherman's  army  was  moving  northward 
through  the  Carolinas,  while  the  cities  trembled  at 


THROUGH   THE   CAROLINAS.  139 

its  approach.  Penetrating  drizzles  kept  the  ground 
muddy,  and  made  the  air  damp  and  unhealthful;  yet 
the  soldiers  advanced  rapidly.  Day  after  day  Kil- 
patrick's  daring  cavalry  and  a  strong  skirmish  line, 
protected  warily  the  moving  legions  from  surprise. 
The  army  baffled  the  Confederates  in  every  attempt 
made  to  retard  or  check  their  progress.  Dense  jun- 
gles, watery  marshes,  and  swollen  rivers,  all  inter- 
cepted their  chosen  pathway;  but  the  obstacles  which 
nature  placed  before  them,  were  overcome  as  success- 
fully as  those  interposed  by  the  stubborn  and  despair- 
ing enemy.  Flooded  swamps  and  treacherous  quick- 
sands were  impotent  to  hinder  them  from  reaching 
the  guarded  cities,  and  fortified  camps;  and  when 
these  places  were  approached,  the  Southern  armies 
were  unable  to  hold  them  against  such  irresistible 
forces.  The  Union  artillery  and  musketry  poured 
forth  their  iron  and  leaden  hail  only  at  the  command 
of  victory;  and  the  sulphurous  fire  and  smoke  jrose 
ever  as  incense  to  the  triumphant  republic. 

Beaufort,  which  was  taken  by  General  Sherman  in 
the  early  part  of  February,  1865,  received  many  of 
the  Federal  soldiers,  who  were  wounded  or  disabled; 
and  to  this  place  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  came  from  Wil- 
mington. She  took  charge  of  one  of  the  largest 
military  hospitals  that  the  place  contained;  and  here 
her  usual  routine  of  labor  was  pursued,  blessing  those 
who  occupied  the  numerous  wards.  Situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  hostile  people,  as  they  were,  groundless 
rumors  and  false  excitements  penetrated  even  the 
hospitals.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's  commanding  presence 


140  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

could  immediately  soothe  the  agitation  of  all  the  pa- 
tients under  her  charge.  Every  thought  she  gave  to 
them,  and  she  seemed  possessed  of  the  power  of  an 
enchantress  when  it  was  necessary  to  meet  any  peril 
or  emergency.  She  remained  here  until  she  had  ac- 
complished a  vast  amount  of  work.  Only  a  short 
time  was  she  permitted  to  enjoy  the  results  of  her 
achievements;  for  the  dark  pines  and  overflowing 
rivers  in  the  vicinity  of  Beaufort  had  not  yet  begun 
to  show  the  influence  of  approaching  spring,  when 
she  was  again  called  to  new  and  different  scenes. 

General  Sherman,  with  his  army,  had  been  engaged 
about  Columbia  and  Cheraw,  where  daring  feats  and 
decisive  victories  made  his  course  brilliant.  He  took 
possession  of  these  places,  and  advanced  on  Fayette- 
ville  and  Goldsboro'. 

The  battle  of  Averysboro'  was  fought  on  the  I5th 
and  1 6th  days  of  March,  1865.  Heavy  rains  fell 
until  the  battle  was  nearly  ended.  After  nightfall, 
upon  the  i6th,  the  Confederates,  under  General 
Hardee,  retreated  from  the  field.  Strewn  promis- 
cuously over  the  wet  and  bloody  ground,  the  Northern 
and  Southern  soldiers  lay  side  by  side.  All  surgical 
operations  necessary  were  performed  by  surgeons  of 
the  Union  army,  for  the  injured  men  who  had  fallen 
from  the  enemy's  ranks,  and  who  had  been  deserted 
by  their  vanquished  comrades.  Nearly  500  of  the 
victors  had  received  wounds,  and  they  were  placed 
in  ambulances  that  accompanied  the  army  trains. 
The  United  States  forces  were  marching  on  toward 
their  objective  point,  which  was  Goldsboro.' 


MEETING  JOHNSTON  AT  BENTONVILLE.          141 

Upon  the  ipth  of  March,  General  Johnston's  army 
was  met  near  Bentonville,  and  an  engagement  took 
place,  resembling,  in  most  particulars,  that  of  Averys- 
boro' — even  to  the  rain,  which  poured  down  upon  the 
combatants;  yet  the  fighting  here  was  much  heavier, 
and  when  the  Confederates  beat  their  retreat,  there 
were  more  than  1,000  Union  soldiers  wounded.  These 
were  taken  to  Goldsboro'  by  the  veterans,  who  could 
now  enter,  without  further  resistance,  the  captured 
city. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  followed  the  army,  stopping  wher- 
ever the  wounded  were  left,  and  doing  for  them  what 
she  had  done  for  innumerable  soldiers  since  the  fall 
of  Sumter  called  the  people  of  the  United  States  to 
arms.  Through  the  sunny  air  of  returning  spring 
came  harbingers  of  peace.  The  gloomy  war  clouds 
were  rifted  here  and  there,  and  dazzling  rainbows 
arched  over  the  dark  and  blood-stained  regions  that 
had  been  subdued  by  the  conquerors. 

Although  the  soldiers  under  General  Sherman  had 
just  finished  a  march  of  more  than  400  miles,  the 
distance  which  they  had  traversed  since  leaving  Sav- 
annah, and  though  many  battles  had  been  fought 
and  swollen  rivers  crossed  in  wintry  weather,  they 
were  strong  and  well,  seeming  to  have  had  much 
keen  and  exciting  enjoyment.  Now  and  then  the 
lively  voice  of  some  soldier  whom  Mrs.  Bickerdyke 
had  met  before,  would  greet  her  heartily.  Then  he 
would  proceed  to  interest  her  with  a  friendly  account 
of  the  adventures  which  had  befallen  him  since  leav- 
ing Atlanta.  Among  the  most  interesting  were  the 


142  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

ludicrous  anecdotes  related  of  the  "  bummers." 
Much  curiosity  had  been  excited  about  them,  by  re- 
ports received  through  the  Southern  press,  some  of 
which  were  true,  while  others  were  slanderous,  or 
altogether  fictitious.  To  Sherman's  armies  these 
men  were  very  useful  all  along  the  course  of  their 
famous  marches. 

When  the  anxious  North  had  supposed  the  invad- 
ers to  be  starving,  these  jovial  men  had  been  resorting 
to  all  sorts  of  devices  in  order  to  collect  food  and 
forage.  In  little  companies  they  left  their  regiments 
at  dawn,  and  usually  returned  before  dark,  mounted 
upon  horses,  loaded  with  provisions  of  every  kind. 
The  army  was  well  supplied,  so  that,  in  this  respect, 
the  expedition  resembled  a  prolonged  picnic.  Deli- 
cious hams  and  fat  turkeys  were  not  rare;  and  they 
were  none  the  less  palatable  from  having  been  cooked 
over  a  bivouac  fire,  after  a  long  day's  march  in  the 
wintry  air. 

Kilpatrick's  cavalrymen  also  had  most  interesting 
incidents  to  relate.  The  men  mounted  their  horses 
and  sped  over  the  roads  fearlessly,  although  they  were 
subjected  to  constant  perils,  being  so  much  feared  and 
detested  by  the  population  of  the  South.  But  to  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  these  gallant  riders  were  valuable  be- 
yond measure.  Many  a  Southern  housewife  has  seen 
her  store  of  ham  and  flour,  which  she  had  concealed 
with  so  much  art  and  toil  in  secret  places,  discovered 
as  readily  by  these  foragers  as  if  they  knew  from  in- 
stinct where  such  things  were  to  be  found.  The  arti- 
cles were  taken  to  supply  the  army,  or  destroyed  be- 


SUCCESSFUL  RAIDS.  143 

fore  her  eyes,  if  it  was  not  possible  to  carry  them 
away. 

Frequently  while  riding  gaily  along  in  the  woods, 
a  rifle  ball  would  come  whistling  through  the  branches 
from  a  marksman  hidden  at  no  great  distance.  If 
it  chanced  to  miss  them  all,  they  would  put  spurs  to 
their  horses'  sides  and  soon  be  out  of  range.  Surpris- 
ing and  destroying  the  Confederate  wagon  trains  was 
also  a  lively  and  hazardous  part  of  their  duties;  for 
the  sturdy  drivers  sometimes  made  a  desperate  at- 
tempt to  defend  the  property  in  their  charge. 

There  was  so  much  enterprise  and  action  in  those 
stirring  times  that  every  day  was  crowded  with  events. 
The  gallant  horsemen  soon  acquired  a  taste  for  ad- 
venture, and  were  proud  of  their  position.  They 
moved  rapidly  from  point  to  point,  performing  feats 
of  daring  that  kept  them  constantly  filled  with  excite- 
ment. Now  they  scattered  along  a  river  course  to 
find  a  suitable  place  for  the  engineers  to  lay  their  pon- 
toon bridges;  and  next  they  dashed  down  upon  a 
mountain  pass  and  seized  it  for  the  army. 

A  crisis  was  approaching  in  the  campaign  of  the 
Carolinas.  General  Grant  with  his  powerful  legions 
was  pressing  the  Confederate  leader,  Lee,  to  his  last 
resources;  and  it  was  thought  that  he  would  join  Gen- 
eral Johnston's  shattered  and  discouraged  columns  in 
North  Carolina,  and,  thus  strengthened,  turn  upon 
General  Sherman's  forces.  Great  excitement  pre- 
vailed among  the  latter  while  they  were  making  ready 
for  a  final  struggle.  Soon  the  army  was  in  a  superb 
condition.  The  infantry  were  noticeable  for  their 


144  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

bright  uniforms  and  shining  bayonets;  the  cavalry, 
for  their  sleek  and  glossy  charges;  and  the  officers 
were  splendid  with  their  new  and  brilliant  trappings. 

An  unusual  tone  of  gaiety  began  to  steal  over  the 
entire  army.  Comrades  seemed  to  realize  for  the 
first  time  that  the  grim  spirit  of  war  was  vanishing 
from  the  land,  like  mist  before  the  morning  sunbeams; 
and,  with  light  hearts,  they  gathered  around  the  biv- 
ouac fires,  discussing  the  terrible  past  and  the  bright- 
ening future,  with  unwonted  zest.  The  conflict  sup- 
posed to  be  approaching  was  so  uncertain  that  it  only 
added  a  keen  interest  to  the  present,  leaving  out  that 
poignant  suspense  which  steals  into  the  secret  re- 
cesses of  every  heart  on  the  eve  of  battle.  All  mirth 
had  a  genuine  ring  in  it,  such  as  before  had  been  a 
rarity.  The  friends  whom  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  had  won 
sought  her  persistently,  and  told  her,  with  untiring 
interest,  of  their  homes  and  future  plans.  To  such 
disclosures  she  listened  with  a  willingness  that  was 
more  than  courteous,  for  it  displayed  as  beautifully 
her  deep  maternal  love  for  those  brave  young  veter- 
ans as  did  her  midnight  watches  over  them  when 
they  had  lain  wounded  in  frail  hospital  tents. 

Her  countenance  was  often  radiant  with  bright  and 
spirited  expressions,  while  she  joined  in  the  merri- 
ment of  lively  groups,  that  delighted  to  interest  her 
with  their  jovial  amusements. 

Some  soldiers  in  fresh  uniforms,  bright  with  bur- 
nished buttons,  waited  upon  her  one  sunny  morning, 
and  tendered  her  a  review.  She  donned  her  bonnet 
with  a  smile,  and  permitted  herself  to  be  stationed  in 


THE  Cows'  REVIEW.  145 

an  elevated  and  suitable  place.  Then  the  fine  old 
cows,  which  had  supplied  them  with  milk,  filed  past 
her.  Each  one  had  been  curried  until  her  coat  was 
as  smooth  and  glossy  as  satin. 

Their  horns  fairly  glittered  from  being  polished, 
and  their  hoofs  had  been  blackened  and  brushed  until 
they  were  as  bright  as  patent  leather.  The  favorites 
were  decked  with  little  flags,  and  a  lively  march  was 
played  as  the  queer  ranks  moved  along,  with  now  and 
then  a  mellow  low,  and  a  restive  break  in  the  lines, 
made  by  some  mild-eyed  creature  that  appeared  to 
delight  in  keeping  to  herself  the  constant  attention  of 
the  jolly  veterans. 

Many  of  these  cows  had  traveled  a  great  distance 
with  the  army.  All  the  way  along  the  marches  from 
Atlanta,  cattle  had  been  taken  from  their  native  past- 
ures and  driven  with  the  provision  trains  to  supply 
milk  and  beef.  The  fine,  gentle  milch  cows  were  a 
treasure  to  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  enabling  her  to  make 
custards  and  such  delicacies  for  the  patients,  at  times 
when  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  obtain  appe- 
tizing food  for  them,  and  this  boyish  prank,  the  cows' 
review,  was  a  pleasant  tribute,  which  she  greatly 
enjoyed. 

The  eyes  of  friends  did  not  look  upon  her  always 
with  the  twinkling  glance  of  mirth,  or  the  earnest  ex- 
pression of  those  who  sought  her  sympathy.  Many 
discerned  the  altered  and  careworn  look,  which  was 
most  noticeable  upon  her  countenance  when  her  feat- 
ures were  in  repose.  Silvery  gleams  of  gray  were  far 
more  numerous  in  her  heavy  hair  than  they  had  been 
IO 


146  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

a  few  short  seasons  ago.  A  peculiar  curve  had  been 
wrought  in  her  cheek  and  lip  by  her  long  association 
with  the  wounded  and  dying. 

She  had  looked  on  death  in  the  crimsoned  field, 

Where  the  soldiers  lay  as  they  fell. 
'Neath  clouds  of  sulphurous  smoke  she  had  kneeled 

On  fragments  of  splintered  shell; 

And  the  scene  had  lent  to  her  cheerful  face, 

An  expression  new  and  grave, 
Which  had  given  to  it  the  lines  of  grace, 

That  beautify  the  brave. 

Amid  these  closing  scenes  she  unconsciously  im- 
pressed all  who  saw  her  with  her  courage  and  san- 
guine temper,  when  opposite  feelings  might  be  ex- 
pected. She  was  neither  stern  nor  sad,  though  she 
had  toiled  constantly,  and  endured  so  much  with  no 
reward  except  the  gratitude  of  the  soldiers;  and  the 
consciousness  that  she  had  performed  a  part,  which 
had  not  been  ineffectual  in  helping  to  restore  the 
Union  to  its  pristine  glory. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  to  drive  the 
Confederates  even  from  .the  "last  ditch"  which  they 
had  vaunted  to  hold  in  spite  of  Providence,  the  great 
men  of  the  nation  were  conferring  uith  each  other 
upon  the  momentous  questions  of  the  hour.  Generals 
Grant  and  Sherman  frequently  met,  and  together 
visited  the  President,  on  board  the  River  Queen,  near 
City  Point.  In  the  elegant  cabin  of  this  steamer 
words  were  spoken  that  equaled  those  uttered  in  earlier 
centuries  by  the  oracles  of  Egypt  or  Rome.  Here 
President  Lincoln's  great  and  noble  heart  revealed  it- 
self to  the  whole  republic.  His  advice  and  dictates 
were  not  only  fraught  with  far-reaching  wisdom,  but 


THE  CLOSING  SCENES  OF  WAR.  147 

were  so  humane  that  something  of  a  divine  spirit 
seemed  interwoven  with  them.  From  his  position 
upon  the  loftiest  summit  to  which  the  statesman  may 
aspire,  he  used  his  influence  to  elevate  the  lowly; 
and  was  not  only  generous  to  the  rebellious  people, 
who  had  no  alternative  except  to  surrender  upon  his 
own  terms,  but  was  to  them  most  lenient  and  mag- 
nanimous. 


LEE'S  SURRENDER — MOURNING  FOR  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN — MOTHER 
BlCKERDYKE  UPON  HERHORSE— THE  LONG  BRIDGE — A  SUPERB 
PAGEANT— THE  GRAND  REVIEW  OF  GENERAL  SHERMAN'S 
ARMY — THE  CALICO  DRESS  AND  SUNBONNET — THROUGH  THE 
GOLDEN  DAYS  OF  JUNE — IN  THE  SOUTH  AND  WEST — DIS- 
CHARGED— SOLDIERS  AT  CHICAGO — ASSISTANCE  IN  PROCURING 
PENSIONS — AT  TOPEKA — THE  PRESIDIO — OUR  HONORED 
DEAD — THE  SOLIDERS'  MOTHER. 


PRIL  sunshine  touched  with  glisten- 
ing luster  the  budding  foliage  of  the 
woods,  and  crowned  every  ripple  of 
the  rivers  and  streams  with  diamond 
coronets.  Nature  smiled  with  the 
usual  beauty  of  spring-time,  in  spite 
of  the  cruel  ravages  of  war;  and, 
like  her,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  appeared 
as  hopeful  and  energetic  as  if  the 
long  years  of  strife  and  bloodshed  had  not  made 
her  weary  and  worn. 

The  ancient  dame  would  be  rewarded  for  the  sun- 
shine she  scattered  by  a  bountiful  harvest     But  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke's   deeds   of  kindness    would    be   recom- 
(148) 


THE  FALL  OF  RICHMOND.  149 

pensed  only  with  the  friendship  and  gratitude  of  those 
whom  she  had  comforted.  The  fruits  of  her  labor 
were  not  material  riches;  and  to  her,  victory  offered 
no  laurels  and  gold  lace. 

During  this  time,  General  Sheridan's  famous  cav- 
alry had  cut  off  all  supplies  from  the  city,  of  Rich- 
mond, where  the  larger  part  of  the  Confederate  forces 
were  stationed  under  the  command  of  General  Lee. 
On  the  2cl  day  of  April,  1865,  this  impenetrable  strong- 
hold was  evacuated  during  the  night,  which  was  made 
hideous  by  the  lurid  flames,  k-indled  in  the  heart  of 
the  ill-fated  city.  General  Grant  had  just  carried  the 
defensive  works  of  Petersburg  by  a  spirited  assault, 
and  upon  the  next  day  the  United  States  soldiers 
entered  this  captured  city  and  the  smouldering  ruins 
of  Richmond. 

The  Rebellion  lasted  but  a  short  time  longer.  All 
of  the  most  powerful  armies  of  the  Union  were  con- 
verging towards  the  exhausted  and  discouraged  Con- 
federate veterans,  who  were  reduced  in  numbers,  and 
desperate  for  want  of  supplies.  Though  they  re- 
sisted valiantly,  fighting  with  fierce  energy,  and  burn- 
ing the  bridges  that  spanned  the  Appomattox  River, 
as  they  retreated  toward  North  Carolina,  their  efforts 
were  all  in  vain.  General  Sheridan,  who  had  won 
such  splendid  laurels  in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah, 
rendered  General  Grant  great  assistance.  By  brilliant 
fighting,  and  rapid  and  vigorous  movements,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  off  Lee's  supplies,  and  capturing 
his  half-demoralized  divisions.  The  mighty  army 
of  the  Potomac  gained  some  new  advantage  over  the 


150  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Confederates  with  each  succeeding  day,  and  the  utter 
uselessness  of  a  further  struggle  on  their  side  soon 
became  apparent. 

Events  crowded  upon  each  other  with  startling  ra- 
pidity. The  sweet  bells  of  Palm  Sunday,  ringing 
through  the  fresh  spring  atmosphere,  sounded  the 
knell  of  the  Confederacy,  that  had  long  been  tottering 
to  its  fall.  Now  this  dream  of  a  Southern  empire, 
which  had  kindled  the  flame  of  selfish  ambition  in 
unnumbered  bosoms,  and  cost  a  million  of  lives,  dis- 
solved like  some  ghostly  fantasy. 

Upon  this  day,  the  Qth  of  April,  1865,  the  iron- 
souled  General  Lee,  who  had  fought  with  such  inflex- 
ible energy  and  skill  for  the  losing  cause,  surrendered 
his  army  to  General  Grant,  our  nation's  greatest  hero. 
They  met  in  Appomattox  Court  House,  where  the 
terms  of  the  surrender  were  discussed  and  settled. 
The  news  of  this  tremendous  event  was  borne  through 
the  land  on  the  wings  of  lightning,  filling  it  with  the 
greatest  joy  and  excitement.  Cities  and  towns  were 
thronged  with  people,  who  expressed  their  feelings 
in  prolonged  shouts,  and  by  the  thunder  of  artillery, 
which  reverberated  over  mountains  and  plains,  awak- 
ening ceaseless  echoes.  At  night  the  country  vied 
with  the  starry  hosts  of  heaven  in  the  number  of 
bonfires  spangling  it  throughout.  They  blazed  in 
every  loyal  city  and  town,  and  upon  the  farms  and 
ranches  even  to  the  most  remote,  which  had  been 
reached  by  the  grand  tidings. 

The  civil  war  was  regarded  as  at  an  end.  No  more 
would  the  dreadful  bloodshed  and  devastation  which 


ASSASSINATION  OF  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN.          151 

it  had  caused,  continue  to  make  home  a  place  of  deso- 
lation, and  fill  the  land  with  soldiers'  graves.  Yet  the 
nation's  cup  of  bitterness  had  not  been  drained  to  the 
dregs,  until  President  Lincoln  died  at  the»  hands  of 
an  assassin,  a  martyr's  death. 

Where  now  were  the  bursts  of  delight  that  had 
filled  the  air  with  music,  and  unfurled  ten  thousand 
flags  upon  every  breeze?  The  gorgeous  stars  and 
stripes  were  lowered  in  mourning,  and  the  black  sign 
of  lamentation  draped  the  whole  United  States,  from 
ocean  to  ocean.  This  sad  event  was  truly  an  afflic- 
tion to  the  entire  republic;  and  the  solemn  beat  of 
muffled  drums  sounded  in  unison  with  the  sorrow  so 
deeply  and  so  widely  felt  in  the  hearts  of  the  people- 
While  these  important  historical  events  were  tak- 
ing place,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  still  engaged  in  her 
noble  work.  Whether  national  joy  or  sorrow  pre- 
vailed to  awaken  her  patriotic  feelings,  there  was  al- 
ways enough  to  keep  her  willing  hands  and  heart  en- 
gaged among  the  soldiers,  who  needed  the  care  of 
relatives  and  friends,  from  whom  they  were  widely 
separated. 

Like  a  true  veteran,  she  adapted  herself  to  all 
places  with  ease;  and  seemed  undisturbed  by  any 
change,  being  as  much  at  home  in  a  bare  tent,  or 
in  a  deserted  house,  as  in  a  hospital,  well  organized, 
and  supplied  with  sanitary  stores.  Her  life  was 
eventful,  and  although  not  so  full  of  excitement,  it 
resembled,  in  many  particulars,  that  which  she  had 
experienced  at  Corinth.  All  her  wishes  and  opinions 
were  regarded  with  much  consideration  by  the  au- 


152  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

thorities,  and  this  greatly  facilitated  her  power  of  do- 
ing" good.  Mounted  upon  a  horse,  which  had  been 
appropriated  to  her  use,  she  was  free  to  come  and  go 
anywhere*  within  the  Federal  lines  at  pleasure.  She 
might  often  be  seen  riding  over  the  winding  roads,  or 
through  the  natural  arbors  of  the  woodlands,  upon 
some  bridle  path.  Now  and  then  she  returned  the 
smiling  salute  of  a  soldier,  as  he  passed  loaded  like 
an  old-fashioned  farmer  with  a  basket  of  onions  or 
eS£s>  or  even  with  a  lot  of  spring  chickens,  destined 
to  broil  over  a  bivouac  fire. 

The  armies  were  ordered  to  move  from  their  pres- 
ent quarters  on  the  I4th  of  April.  They  had  already 
begun  to  advance,  with  the  expectation  of  laying 
waste  the  central  or  the  western  parts  of  the  State, 
when  General  Johnston  surrendered  his  army  to  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  and  this  decisive  event  ended  the  cam- 
paign of  the  Carolinas. 

Thereupon  the  armies  of  General  Sherman  were 
ordered  to  Alexandria.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  followed 
them  there,  and  joined  the  I5th  Army  Corps  on 
her  arrival,  at  the  request  of  General  Logan.  Again 
she  clasped  the  friendly  hand  of  many  a  soldier  whom 
she  had  known  at  Vicksburg  and  Lookout  Mountain. 
They  had  traveled  far  since  those  great  battles  had 
been  fought.  General  O.  O.  Howard  had  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  after  the 
death  of  the  brave  McPherson.  He  led  these  daunt- 
less veterans  from  Atlanta  over  the  hundreds  of  miles 
to  the  sea,  and  thence  to  North  Carolina,  all  the  way 
culling  fresh  laurels,  ere  the  dew  had  ceased  to  sparkle 


THE  ARMY  AT   WASHINGTON.  153 

upon  those  vvhich  had  just  been  gathered.  After  the 
surrender  of  General  Johnston,  he  was  summoned  to 
Washington  to  take  charge  of  an  important  bureau, 
and  from  that  time  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was 
commanded  by  General  Logan. 

When  peace  was  declared,  the  immense  armies 
of  General  Sherman,  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington* 
numbered  65,000  men.  For  months,  this  legion 
had  subsisted  principally  upon  the  rebellious  South; 
but  now  the  cessation  of  hostilities  suddenly  checked 
this  source  of  supplies.  The  Government  had  not 
yet  been  able  to  provide  sufficient  food  for  them, 
and  they  became  short  of  rations.  These  strong, 
active  men,  living  entirely  in  the  open  air,  would 
miss  keenly  a  meal  at  any  time,  and  after  spirited 
marches  the  lack  of  sufficient  food  made  them  ex- 
ceedingly uncomfortable  and  dissatisfied.  Their  dis- 
tress was  greatly  increased,  because  they  could  not 
learn  how  soon  they  were  to  be  relieved  from  this 
predicament.  The  I5th  Army  Corps  reached  Alex- 
andria on  the  i  Qth  of  April,  a  beautiful  spring  Sab- 
bath; and  there  the  men  soon  built  cheerful  camp- 
fires,  and  pitched  their  tents,  or  made  themselves  com- 
fortable in  deserted  houses.  The  smoke  curled  up  ki 
the  sunshine,  and  beds  of  glowing  coals  shone  red 
through  the  flames.  But  where  could  be  found  any- 
thing to  broil,  or  roast  in  the  whole  encampment? 

Mrs.  Bickcrdyke  appreciated  fully  the  situation,  and, 
as  usual,  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  After  several 
unavailing  efforts  to  procure  the  desired  provisions 
from  the  proper  sources,  she  sent  a  telegram  to  the 


154  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

Rev.  Dr.  Bellows,  of  New  York,  explaining  to  him 
their  situation. 

At  the  time  of  its  receipt  he  was  in  the  pulpit  of 
his  church,  and  before  him  his  large  congregation  was 
assembled,  with  the  usual  hush  of  peace  that  renders 
so  impressive  and  e  'ifying  the  hour  of  divine  worship. 
During  a  pause  in  his  sermon  a  messenger  came  up 
the  aisle  and  quietly  gave  him  a  small  envelope  which 
contained  the  simple  words  of  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  ap- 
pealing earnestly  on  behalf  of  the  soldiers  for  food. 

Dr.  Bellows  read  it  to  his  audience,  and  they 
quick'y  responded  to  the  call.  A  train  was  chartered 
immediately,  and  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  it 
was  ready  to  start  with  an  abundant  supply  of  all 
that  was  needed  to  satisfy  the  hungry  boys  in  blue. 
The  telegram  which  heralded  its  arrival  soon  became 
known  to  the  soldiers,  and  the  news  of  what  Mother 
Bickerdyke  had  done  thrilled  the  whole  encampment. 
Animation  and  happy  expectations  beamed  from 
every  sun-bronzed  countenance;  and  the  spirit  of 
merriment  prevailed,  which  found  a  climax  when  the 
provisions  arrived,  in  national  airs  and  grand  old 
hymn  tunes  played  by  the  bands,  and  many  ringing 
cheers. 

On  Monday  there  was  plenty,  and  as  their  delight- 
ful meals  were  discussed,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  was  thanked 
and  praised  until  her  cheeks  flushed  and  her  eyes 
sparkled  with  pleasure.  This  wave  of  popularity 
was  still  bearing  to  I  er  feet  new  tributes  of  the  gen- 
eral favor  in  which  she  was  held,  when  the  army  was 
ordered  to  Washington  for  the  grand  review.  The 


PROVISIONS  FOR  THE  SOLDIERS?  155 

signal  to  march  found  the  soldiers  even  more  alert 
than  usual.  Their  steps  were  as  light  and  firm  and 
their  hearts  beat  as  high  with  hope,  as  though  the 
music  of  fife  and  drum  had  a  power  to  inspire  them 
like  that  which  pealed  from  the  shell  of  Orpheus. 
Every  train  steaming  toward  the  capital  bore  friends 
and  loved  ones  on  the  way  to  meet  them  there;  and 
such  pleasant  anticipations  filled  every  mind  that  the 
march  of  twelve  miles  from  Alexandria  was  like  go- 
ing to  a  festival.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  mounted  upon 
her  glossy  saddle  horse,  accompanied  them.  She 
wore  her  usual  simple  dress,  which,  at  this  warm  sea- 
son, was  of  calico;  and  her  clear  eyes  and  serene 
countenance  looked  out  from  the  depths  of  a  com- 
fortable sunbonnet.  Her  face  was  as  fair,  and  free 
from  freckle  or  tan,  as  though  she  had  never  seen  the 
brawny  veterans  who  esteemed  her  so  highly,  nor 
toiled  for  them  through  the  sunny  weather  of  a  South- 
ern spring. 

She  crossed  the  Long  Bridge  in  advance  of  the  I5th 
Army  Corps,  and  was  met  by  the  noted  Dorothy 
Dix,  and  others,  who  welcomed  her  to  the  capital. 
This  greeting  to  the  soldiers'  mother  was  indeed  a 
triumph  such  as  few  women  have  ever  merited  or 
won. 

The  streets  now  looked  blue  with  the  uniforms  of 
moving  thousands,  for  the  grand  review  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  now  taking  place.  On- 
ward those  glorious  legions  were  sweeping,  while  the 
wise  and  brave  of  the  land  scanned  them  with  admi- 
ration, and  the  world  rejoiced.  General  Grant,  their 


156  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

great  leader,  whose  star  of  fame  now  shone  in  the 
zenith  of  glory,  looked  calmly  upon  the  superb  pa- 
geant; and  those  who  had  seen  him  at  Shiloh  and 
Vicksburg  thought  his  expression  as  unperturbed 
then,  amid  those  scenes  of  fury  and  bloodshed,  as  it 
was  now,  beholding  the  victorious  forces  that  moved 
in  glittering  columns  through  avenues  of  light  and 
music. 

That  night  the  soldiers  bivouacked  in  the  streets 
of  Washington,  which  gleamed  far  out  into  the  sub- 
urbs with  their  myriad  camp-fires.  The  24th  of 
April  dawned  clear  and  lovely.  Stately  trees  held 
aloft  their  misty  mantles  of  young  leaves,  and  the  air 
was  fragrant  with  early  flowers.  The  signal  gun  was 
fired  at  nine  o'clock,  and  immediately  the  thorough- 
fares were  filled  with  people  in  holiday  attire.  Dense 
masses  of  men,  women,  and  children,  all  with  glad, 
eager  faces,  stood  in  gardens  and  upon  the  streets, 
nearly  obstructing  the  way. 

General  Sherman  with  his  staff,  accompanied  by 
General  Howard,  all  mounted  upon  their  handsome 
chargers,  rode  slowly  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue, 
followed  by  General  Logan  and  the  I5th  Army  Corps- 
Then  came  the  other  famous  corps  which  had  marched 
through  Georgia  to  the  sea,  and  swept  the  Carolinas 
like  a  storm.  The  columns,  bright  with  blue  and 
gold,  moved  in  perfect  concert.  Above  their  heads  a 
forest  of  polished  bayonets  caught  the  sunbeams, 
making  a  galaxy  of  light,  which  was  relieved  at  in- 
tervals by  their  gorgeous  silken  flags  that  had  been 
tattered  and  powder-stained  in  battle,  and  which  were 
now  garlanded  with  flowers. 


THE   GRAND  REVIEW.  157 

Sharp  swords  flashed  in  the  light,  as  the  illustrious 
generals,  who  had  just  inscribed  their  names  upon 
their  country's  history,  saluted  the  president  in  true 
military  style,  as  they  passed  the  reviewing  stand. 
Thousands  of  spectators  scrutinized  for  hours  the 
magnificentarmy  of  65,000  veterans  marching  by  them- 
They  were  fascinated  with  the  spectacle  of  those 
vast  walls  of  strength,  bright  with  the  trappings  that 
graced  the  exultant  hour  of  triumph.  Gold  fringes 
quivered  from  the  epaulets  of  distinguished  men, 
mounted  upon  war  steeds,  prancing  and  champing 
their  silver  bits.  Then  came  the  soldiers  who  had 
faced  the  flaming  cannon,  and  the  leaden  hail  of 
musketry.  For  -these,  cheer  after  cheer  went  up, 
while  some,  missing  from  the  ranks  the  brave  men 
who  had  fallen,  dropped  for  them  a  tear. 

There  were  enlivening  features,  the  baggage  trains 
being  represented  by  ambulances,  followed  by  pack- 
mules,  loaded  with  such  things  as  hams,  and  festooned 
with  carrot  tops  and  onions,  or  perhaps  bags  of  corn 
and  cackling  poultry  formed  the  pack.  Cattle  lowed, 
as  they  followed  in  the  train,  and  among  them  were 
the  glossy  milch  cows,  distinguished  for  having  had 
their  horns  so  brightly  polished  by  the  "  jovial  boys," 
in  honor  of  Mother  Bickerdyke.  Negro  women,  lead- 
ing their  children,  who  in  turn  led  goats,  ornamented 
with  jingling  bells,  added  variety.  The  corps  of  black 
pioneers  at  the  heads  of  the  divisions,  carrying  their 
axes  and  spades,  marched  in  creditable  style.  The 
whole  grand  review  was  remarkable  for  the  perfect 
discipline  of  the  soldiers,  and  for  the  beauty  and 


158  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

strength  of  every  detail,  making  it  one  of  the  great- 
est pageants  ever  beheld  in  America. 

During  the  weeks  that  followed  this  memorable 
day,  the  greater  part  of  the  army  was  disbanded. 
Still  thousands  remained,  and  among  these  Mrs. 
Bickerdyke  found  ample  work,  so  she  stayed  in  the 
vicinity,  distributing  stores  and  caring  for  the  sick, 
just  as  she  had  been  doing  all  though  the  spring. 
The  popularity  she  had  gained  called  forth  much  notice, 
from  which  she  shrank  with  extreme  modesty;  and 
yet  all  of  it  she  could  not  escape.  She  was  treated 
with  marked  distinction  on  numerous  occasions. 

The  calico  dress  and  sunbonnet  which  she  had 
worn  upon  her  arrival,  were  sold  for  $100,  and  pre- 
served as  relics  of  the  Rebellion.  This  sum  of  money 
melted  from  her  hands  almost  in  a  day,  for  the  "boys" 
needed  so  many  things  that  she  delighted  to  supply. 
General  O.  O.  Howard  remembers  her  at  this  time, 
and  says,  "  I  always  heard  her  called,  when  spoken 
of,  Mother  Bickerdyke,  the  soldiers'  friend.  She  was 
a  woman  of  great  energy  of  character,  and  successful 
in  procuring  from  the  people  large  supplies  for  the 
relief  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  Her  labors  were 
spoken  of  everywhere  with  kind  words  of  praise  and 
thankfulness." 

The  work  which  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  did  among  the 
soldiers  here,  all  through  the  golden  days  of  June, 
was  as  much  needed  and  as  highly  appreciated  as 
any  during  the  whole  period  of  civil  strife.  She 
went  about  the  camps  in  a  huge  army  wagon,  loaded 
with  stores  of  all  kinds;  and  distributed  with  her  own 


A  COSTLY  CALICO.  159 

hands  great  bales  of  clean  linen,  and  countless  pounds 
of  dainty  eatables  for  those  who  were  suffering  from 
sickness  or  exhaustion. 

It  was  her  greatest  pleasure  to  enter  some  tent, 
where  languished  a  poor  weary  boy,  so  disheartened 
and  fatigued  by  the  recent  hardships  of  war  that  life 
itself  was  a  burden,  and  there  diffuse  the  sparkling 
animation  of  her  own  lively  and  hopeful  disposition. 
She  always  brought  some  pleasing  gift — perhaps  a 
glass  of  jelly,  clear  as  a  topaz,  or  a  soft  pillow,  and 
some  fresh  white  .towels.  These  were  given  with  a 
native  grace  and  smile,  which  made  them  thrice  wel- 
come. 

Here  in  sight  of  the  capitol  gleaming  like  a  palace 
of  marble  over  the  roofs  of  the  city,  in  which  the 
beauty  and  wealth  and  wisdom  of  the  whole  nation 
concentrated,  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  wore  as  simple  a  dress, 
and  every  action  was  as  modest  and  unselfish,  as 
when  she  had  labored  so  earnestly,  where  roared  the 
artillery  for  a  hundred  days  at  the  fall  of  Georgia's 
citadel.  What  to  her  were  the  pomp  and  pleasures 
enjoyed  in  yonder  banquet  halls  ?  She  lived  in  a 
different  world.  In  the  valley  of  humility  she  saw 
true  heroes — the  brave  self-sacrificing  soldiers,  who 
had  given  their  all  for  the  Union — poor  and  neglected 
in  sickness,  and  far  from  friends  and  home.  It 
seemed  as  though  a  kind  Providence  had  implanted 
in  her  heart  so  much  kindness,  and  such  broad  sym- 
pathies, that -she  might  take  the  place  of  those  moth- 
ers who  yearned  anxiously  for  their  absent  sons. 

As  the  summer  advanced,  large  numbers  of  soldiers 


160  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

left  the  fair  city  of  Washington,  and  when  General 
Logan  ordered  his  army  to  different  scenes,  he  re- 
quested Mrs.  Bickerdyke  to  remain  with  them.  For 
months  she  traveled  through  the  South  and  Wesb 
engaged  in  such  occupations  as  have  hitherto  been 
described;  for  though  the  battles  were  ended,  and 
once  more  national  peace  began  to  revive  prosperity, 
the  loss  of  which  had  affected  the  whole  contin  nt, 
thousands  of  men  had  become  disabled  or  unfit  for 
civil  occupations.  The  great  military  hospitals  were 
crowded  with  them,  and  many  of  the  cities  were  filled 
with  discharged  soldiers,  who  could  find  no  suitable 
employment.  Through  lingering  weeks  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyk:  was  familiarly  seen  in  the  haunts  of  pain,  and 
wherever  distress  or  sickness  were  found.  Her  large 
sense  of  right  and  justice  was  frequently  offended  by 
the  neglect  of  men,  who,  though  brought  to  poverty 
and  with  no  ambition,  she  knew  had  been  reduced  to 
their  present  state  through  one  of  the  most  sublime 
sentiments — that  of  patriotism. 

In  Chicago  she  did  a  noble  deed  for  them.  Large 
numbers  of  soldiers  had  gathered  there,  and  were  un- 
able to  obtain  work.  Our  country  grants  special 
privileges  to  men  who  have  served  in  the  army,  when 
they  wish  to  take  up  public  lands,  and  Mrs.  Bicker- 
dyke  was  active  in  causing  a  vast  number  of  veterans 
in  Chicago  to  settle  the  promising  prairies  of  Kansas; 
which  then  were  uncultivated  wilds.  These  men  were 
well  fitted  for  the  lives  of  frontiersmen,  having  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  adventure,  and  being  accustomed 
to  active  labor  in  the  open  air. 


LETTERS  OF  GRATITUDE.  161 

Being  encouraged  to  industry  and  enterprise,  they 
succeeded  admirably  in  their  attempts,  and  now  their 
homes,  in  the  midst  of  waving  grain  fields,  present  the 
most  charming  pictures  of  domestic  usefulness  and 
comfort. 

Mrs.  Bickerdyke  often  receives  letters  from  those 
who  were  "  her  boys,"  in  the  by-gone  days  of  the  Re- 
bellion, telling  her  of  contented  and  happy  lives  here, 
surrounded  by  all  that  renders  existence  delightful. 
Photographs  are  sent  of  fair  and  dimpled  children, 
who  are  the  treasures  and  ornaments  of  the  happy 
firesides  so  glowingly  described:  and  upon  every  leaf 
of  those  friendly  missives,  are  words  of  gratitude  for 
what  Mother  Bickerdyke  has  enabled  them  to  enjoy. 
The  days  of  life's  decline  find  her  still  employed 
with  her  chosen  tasks.  For  nearly  ten  years  she  has 
lived  chiefly  in  San  Francisco,  and  though  her  cir- 
cumstances have  been  straitened,  compelling  her 
many  times  to  seek  employment  as  a  nurse,  in  order 
that  she  might  maintain  herself,  she  has  done  much 
in  securing  richly-deserved  pensions  for  soldiers  who 
have  been  seriously  maimed  in  the  late  war.  She  has 
countless  letters  from  them,  asking  for  a  word  of  re- 
membrance, or  other  aid ;  and  in  their  behalf  she  rlas 
journeyed  several  times  to  Washington,  where  her  ef- 
forts were  of  great  value  to  them. 

Upon  one  occasion,  as  she  was  returning  from  the 
capital,  she  was  met  at  Topeka  by  several  hundred 
soldiers,  who  had  known  her  during  the  war,  or  at 
Chicago  afterwards.  The  cars  stopped  but  a  short 
time  yet  her  hand  was  taken  in  the  frank  clasp  of 
n 


162  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

so  many  friends,  that  she  was  unable  to  offer  it  longer; 
and  blessings  were  showered  upon  the  "  dear  old 
mother  of  the  soldiers."  When  the  train  was  about 
to  start,  hearty  cheers  for  the  "general  "  filled  the  air, 
recalling  the  old  days  of  youthful  enthusiasm  and 
patriotic  fervor. 

This  incident  is  related  by  Mrs.  William  Spin- 
ning, wife  of  the  young  cavalryman  mentioned  in  the 
third  chapter.  Since  the  war  he  became  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  and  now  has  charge  of  a  parish  at  the 
mission  within  a  few  blocks  of  Mrs.  Bickerdyke's 
present  home.  Mr.  Spinning  brought  his  family  to 
San  Francisco  quite  recently,  and  as  they  were  on 
the  journey  hither,  they  happened  to  be  on  the  same 
train  with  Mrs.  Bickerdyke.  In  the  cozy  parsonage 
at  the  quiet  old  mission,  voices  ring  sweetly  out  in 
the  music  of  childish  glee;  and  here  she  is  received 
with  more  than  courteous  warmth,  her  welcome  be- 
ing tinged  with  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  her  kindness 
long  ago  to  the  young  soldier  at  Corinth. 

Time,  that  wizard,  who  is  constantly  followed  by 
changes,  often  permits  them  to  come  stealing  in  his 
footsteps  so  insidiously  that  a  retrospective  glance  is 
startling.  Hundreds  of  young  volunteers  who  joined 
the  army  in  1861,  and  in  the  dark  years  that  followed, 
dwell  here  upon  the  calm  Pacific  shores, 

Where  opal  waves 

Come  softly  beating  from  the  west, 
Bearing  like  crowns  the  pearly  sprays 

That  glisten  on  each  rounded  crest. 

They  have  laved  the  Orient  shore  that  lies 
'Neath  summer  suns  that  ne'er  retreat, 

And  yet  they  are  nearer  Paradise, 
When  here  at  California's  feet. 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  WEST.  163 

Some  also  who  have  won  laurels  upon  those  crim- 
soned fields  of  the  Rebellion  grace  the  city  with  their 
presence.  General  Stoneman,  governor  of  this  S'ate, 
is  often  seen  at  reviews  and  parades  of  the  National 
Guard;  and  thus  he  calls  to  mind  his  inestimable 
services  to  the  Union,  during  the  spring  of  1865, 
when  he  led  his  cavalry  corps  across  the  mountains 
of  Tennessee  on  his  famous  raid  through  the  South. 

General  O.  O.  Howard,  now  in  command  of  the 
Military  Division  of  the  Pacific,  has  his  headquarters 
at  Fort  Mason,  or  Black  Point,  as  it  is  usually  called, 
where  his  home  is  surrounded  by  gardens  of  perpetual 
flowers,  and  looks  across  the  water  upon  fort-crowned 
Alcatraz,  that  sets  like  a  jewel  upon  the  bosom  of  the 
bay.  Northward,  the  purple  heights  of  Mount  Ta- 
malpais  rise  among  the  green  hills  of  Marin  County, 
from  which  Angel  Island,  with  its  smooth  outlines,  is 
separated  by  a  narrow  channel.  Buildings  cluster 
upon  the  shores;  and  fine  ferry-boats  and  queenly 
ships  breast  the  tranquil  waters,  while  trim  yachts  are 
lightly  wafted  about,  giving  a  sense  of  life  and  action 
to  the  beautiful  view. 

In  the  evening,  the  sunset  gun  is  fired  from  the 
terraced  slopes  of  Alcatraz;  and  as  the  dusk  deepens 
into  night,  the  flashing  light  from  the  beacon  on  the 
battlements  at  Fort  Point  tells  to  mariners/with  the 
constancy  of  the  North  Star,  where  maybe  found  the 
Golden  Gate.  When  all  surrounding  objects  are  ob- 
scured by  volumes  of  fog,  which  sometimes  creep  in 
from  the  sea,  the  deep  tones  of  the  sirene  do  this  duty. 

The  Presidio  of  San  Francisco  was  established  as  a 


164  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

military  post  to  protect  the  first  missionaries,  and 
was  occupied  by  Spanish  and  Mexican  troops,  until 
the  year  1847,  when  it  passed  under  the  dominion  of 
the  United  States.  Its  history  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  Mission  Dolores,  from  which  a  single 
road  wound  across  the  hills,  when  those  between  it 
and  the  beach,  upon  which  the  city  of  San  FYancisco 
now  rests,  was  mantled  only  with  primeval  shrubbery 
and  wild  verdure. 

The  National  Cemetery  is  in  the  Government  Res- 
ervation, adjoining  the  Presidio,  and  here,  departed 
soldiers  sleep.  Among  them,  General  Irwin  McDowell 
is  laid  to  rest.  Beneath  the  ivy  and  cedars  that 
flourish  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Cemetery,  slumber 
many  soldiers,  and  General  Miller,  the  late  United 
States  Senator,  is  interred  among  those  tablet  cov- 
ered eminences. 

Colonel   Edward  D.  Baker  reposes, 

Where  marble  spires  crown  the  hills 

Within  the  Golden  Gate, 
The  breeze  from  the  Pacitic  thrills 

Through  trees  that  seem  to  wait 

For  night  to  cover  them  with  dew 

Which  they  may  shed  like  tears, 
Above  the  men  who  wore  the  blue, 

And  fell  in  other  years. 

The  mournful  march  and  minute  guns 

Sound  on  Memorial  Day, 
When  memory  culls  for  those  brave  sons 

The  opening  gems  of  May. 

In  Laurel  Hill  a  soldier  sleeps, 

One  of  illustrious  name, 
Whose  s-rvices  our  history  keeps 

Upon  the  page  of  fame. 

'Twas  he  who  led  the  ranks  of  blue, 

Upon  that  fatal  day 
At  Ball's  Bluff,  and  who  never  knew 

The  terror  of  dismay. 


ARLINGTON  HEIGHTS.  165 

He  fell  upon  that  gory  field, 

And  now  he  slumbers  here. 
Unto  his  honored  tomb  we  yield 
Fair  blossoms,  with  a  tear 

That  wells  where  sorrow's  fountain  leaps, 

And  yet  'tis  half  of  pride, 
That  in  our  fair  young  land  now  sleeps 

One  who  so  bravely  died. 

At  Arlington  Heights,  near  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton, thousands  of  green  hillocks  billow  the  peaceful 
slopes,  and  beneath  them  an  army  slumbers.  One 
evening  a  stranger  came  through  the  dusk,  and,  after 
scanning  with  earnest  eyes  a  number  of  the  head- 
stones, knelt  beside  a  grave  and  bedewed  it  with 
tears.  Neither  father,  brother,  nor  son  slumber  there; 
yet  'it  was  one  united  to  him  by  ties  as  strong.  It 
was  his  friend — a  friend  who  had  died  for  him.  When 
he  was  drafted  into  the  army,  and  was  about  to  be 
compelled  to  leave  an  invalid  wife  and  four  helpless 
little  children,  two  of  them  still  in  infancy,  a  noble 
young  man  who  had  no  such  domestic  ties,  volun- 
teered to  take  his  place.  This  brave  soldier  marched 
away  in  the  beauty  and  promise  of  youth,  and  fell 
in  battle.  He  was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  buried  in  a 
grave  on  these  hallowed  slopes,  and  with  each  re- 
turning Memorial  day,  fresh  blossoms  are  left  upon  the 
sacred  mound  by  th  •  friend  for  whom  he  died. 

Such  inci  ents  were  not  rare  during  those  terrible 
years  of  the  Rebellion,  and  they  are  deeds  to  which 
we  may  look  up  with  feelings  of  adoration,  since 
they  prove  the  existence  of  something  divine  in  the 
human  heart. 

This  scene  suggests  a  simile — Mother  Bickerdyke 
kneeling  upon  the  gory  fields  to  bind  up  wounds, 


166  MOTHER  BICKERDYKE. 

watching  at  midnight  in  dreary  hospital  wards, 
smoothing  the  hot  pillows  of  those  who  rave  in  the 
delirium  of  fever,  and  hurrying  through  the  icy  gales 
of  winter  to  frail  tents,  with  life-saving  potions,  all 
are  typical  of  what  the  mothers  of  those  soldiers 
yearned  to  do,  and  would  nave  done  had  it  been  pos- 
sible. In  their  place  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  visited  those 
scenes,  and  in  their  stead  toiled  through  those  long 
and  sorrowful  years. 

She  deserves  from  them,  not  a  wreath  of  fading 
flowers,  but  the  true  and  earnest  friendship  of  sisters. 
Every  heart  that  has  glowed  with  a  mother's  love 
must  thrill  with  sympathy  for  this  exalted  mother, 
while  those  whose  sons  were  soldiers  cannot  choose  but 
pay  to  her  the  tribute  of  soul-felt  gratitude. 

The  esteem  and  favor  in  which  she  is  held  by  the 
officers  and  rank  and  file  of  the  United  States  army 
have  been  illustrated  by  incidents  in  the  preceding 
pages.  These  sentiments  are  richly  merited,  having 
been  won  by  her  womanly  tenderness,  her  noble  in- 
tellect, and  exalted  character.  The  services  which 
she  has  rendered  to  our  country  cannot  be  estimated, 
though  they  are  so  widely  attested  by  the  name 
that  covers  her  with  honor  and  fame.  She  is  a  her- 
oine in  the  eyes  of  thousands,  and  as  long  as  warm 
life-blood  beats  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  fought  in 
the  great  Western  army,  there  will  always  be  arms  to 
protect  and  lips  to  praise  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  the  sol- 
dier's mother,  and  the  soldier's  friend. 


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